CONCEPTS...............................................................2 Joe's approach to chord comping......................................2 Traditional Jazz Rhythm Guitar:........................................2 Django guitar for the experienced player.............................3 TIPS FOR PLAYING AT SAMOIS By Ed Parsons.............................7 COMPING by Steve Korn................................................9 FUNCTIONAL COMPING....................................................10 INTERACTIVE COMPING...................................................10 TEXTURAL COMPING......................................................11 GENERAL THOUGHTS......................................................11 RHYTHM..............................................................14 WALKING AND CHEWING GUM...............................................14 PHASE ONE: SINGLE LIMBS...............................................15 EXERCISE: Playing In A Circle.........................................15 EXERCISE: Switching Pairs.............................................17 EXERCISE: Switching Trios.............................................18 GET SYNCHOPATED!......................................................19 Comping for drums...................................................19 COMPING EXERCISES.....................................................20 ORCHESTRATING THE PHRASE..............................................21 TRIPLETS..............................................................22 QUESTION-AND-ANSWER...................................................23 Learn the fundamentals of jazz chords.................................24 DISCOGRAPHY - MASTERS OF SWING RHYTHM...............................29 A Comparative Study of Rhythm Guitar Styles.........................31 PATTERNS..............................................................39 La pompe Manouche...................................................39 Two Note Comping......................................................43 HARMONIE..............................................................46 CONCEPTS............................................................46 L'Anatole.............................................................46 Le Christophe.........................................................47 Accords.............................................................48 La notation...........................................................48 Triades...............................................................52 GYPSY CHORDS..........................................................54 Accords Majeurs 6/9 (1)...............................................57 Accords Mineurs 7 (1).................................................58 Accords de septième...................................................61 Building a chord voicing vocabulary...................................63 Freddie Green.......................................................73 "I Got Rhythm" in the style of Freddie Green..........................74
Another Approach to Fingering Three-Note Chords.......................76 Basics of Freddie Green Comping.......................................77 Western swing.........................................................80
CONCEPTS Joe's approach to chord comping. A
little something
I picked
up from
Joe Pass:
When comping
for a
soloist, or when having someone comp for you, see if you can better hear and express the solo ideas that you are exploring when soloing over small chords four notes, three notes --sometimes even two notes. Rock calls for many full bodied five and six string chords whereas jazz often requires so much less and still expresses so much more. As you begin the transition from rock to jazz one of the most difficult things to change is the (five and six string) chord voicings that you have become so used to. Joe emphasized the idea of being a chord minimalist. Mick Goodrick and Jim Hall both have written about the use of smaller chords --often omitting the root. Not only does this allow a more open field on which to solo but it allows
the
accompanyist
more
freedom
to
explore
different
voicings
and
actually can make his job easier. Two, three and four note voicings are, by their very nature, easier to play and offer a wider range of fingering and fretboard position options. This
can
be
particularly
useful
when
starting
into
chord/melody
stylings. The busy five and six string chords allow little time and few voice options upon which to construct the melody lines. Keep it simple. Good luck, good playing and have fun! Bill Wells.
Traditional Jazz Rhythm Guitar: Interpreting what to play as a rhythm guitarist from a master rhythm part requires good musical judgment. You would not literally try to play every chord as indicated in the master part. Usually in the traditional jazz big band, you would want to emulate Freddie Green of Count Basie's band. In this style of rhythm guitar playing, the rhythm "groove" which you are playing with the drums and bass is more important than the harmonic sophistication of the chord symbols. Simplify the harmony when you are playing this style of rhythm. I would venture to say that Freddie Green does not play more than two or three notes in his chord voicings. He plays the basic harmony - whether the triad is major or minor, and whether the 7th is functioning as a major 7th or dominant 7th. It usually is that simple! Always simplify the part harmonically so you can concentrate on contributing to the feel or "groove" of the rhythm section.
Django guitar for the experienced player (in 6 months, 10 easy stages (and less than $6 a day) By Mike Hardaker) 1. Don’t buy a Selmer (or a good replica). Buy a crap guitar It’s too easy to sound like a half-decent manouche guitarist if the guitar just oozes "that sound". The deep-down secrets are actually: Physical strength (of fingers and wrist) Dexterity Knowing the fingerboard Knowing the chords Knowing the scales Squeezing every ounce of tone from your instrument Numbers 3, 4 and 5 in this list may seem pretty obvious, but they’re a lot harder to crack than you might think (especially if you’ve been playing guitar for a decade or two). The rest are less obvious, and even harder to get tapped. If you’ve been playing a Gibson, PRS, Martin, Taylor or even a Yamaha for a while, the odds are that you’re not very strong – there’s no need to be. Get one of those things that are designed to build up hand strength in tennis players (they look like two short sticks joined by a coil spring). Can you squeeze the thing closed 50 times in each hand? And then do it again? And again? If not, you’re not ready for the Django stuff. Now you’ve bought the tennis thing you can do some boring physical exercises every day – and you should – but it’s a lot better to fight with an old plank of a guitar with a half-inch action at the twelfth. Your innate desire to make the beast sound almost reasonable will force you to press down harder, release quicker and, generally, build up the strength of your fingers. Dexterity comes from this as well. Finally, the odds are that the old plank sounds awful, so you’ll start using serious finger vibrato while attacking the strings with your right hand. And that’s the secret to tone, basically. Oh – string the bugger up with flatwound 12s. They’re even harder to play, and sound particularly bad on most guitars. If you don’t have a crap guitar, buy one – 1960s "student" archtops are pretty cheap and almost always horrible. If you can’t buy something crap enough, go for a Hofner Congress or something like that – not exactly "crap" but totally inappropriate! 2. Get your right hand sorted Most rock/folk/jazz guitarists rest their fingers on the guitar while playing, holding the pick delicately between thumb and forefinger (or middle-
finger). This won’t do. Clench your fist and then park the plectrum (which should be seriously heavy – like 3mm thick) at 90 degrees to your thumb. Clamp it there. Play like this. It’ll hurt (a lot – but you’ve got that tennis thing to build up your wrist) but that’s what you gotta do. Honestly. Look at the old photos: no fingers on the box... It’ll take a while before you’re comfortable with this, but in the meantime you can... 3. Learn the chords I mean really learn the chords. Not the chords you already know. Unless you’ve been dicking around on an ES-175 for forty years the odds are that you know lots of chords that have your hands in completely the wrong position and that you’ll never use in manouche jazz. Get Mickey Baker’s book on Jazz Guitar and look at the first few pages. Learn every one of the chords. Properly. Then string them into sequences and get these off pat. Then do it again. And again... The chords may seem more appropriate to Bop than manouche jazz, but they all – even the really odd ones – will help your soloing later. Then start inventing chords. Find the bass note you want and work out (1... 3... 5... 7... 11...) where the other notes are. You’ll find new inversions that aren’t in any book (because they’re a bit weird) but that sound great when thrashed out with a boom-chicka beat. But don’t get hung up by finding all the notes in a chord. Any 7 th can be perfectly satisfactory with only three notes (even though it "needs" four) and so on. Look for the rhythm and the feel. And get those changes moving at 300bpm, four changes per bar. 4. Learn the scales and arpeggios Boring? Yes. Essential? Also. Get the basics drilled into you: major, minor, major 6th, major 9th, diminished, augmented, chromatic... Then do them faster. And faster. Then pick a spot on the fingerboard at random and do every scale you know – from there. Learn every scale, every arpeggio, in every position, until playing them is as natural as breathing. If you’re the sort of person who likes to know they’re playing a G mixolydian over a B7 phrygian then learn all that stuff. Otherwise, just build the sense-memory of where you fingers go for all the options. Both approaches work... 5. Transpose standards, then learn them Most jazz standards are in awful keys for the guitar – eleven flats, and the like. Transpose them into something civilised like G major and then learn
the rhythm part (using modified chords you’ve learnt earlier – and with the assumption
that
"G"
never
means
"G",
probably
means
"G6",
but
could
be
anything...). Then practice that rhythm part until you can produce the best rhythm part for Sweet Georgia Brown (or whatever...) that anyone’s ever done. Then build on the rhythm part, imagining Grappelli’s doing his solo while you vamp. To stay fresh, try to be Eddie Lang behind Joe Venuti. That’s what Django did, after all... Only when you can hear the chord changes in your sleep should you learn the top line. Get the melody down pat. Then try the whole business in different keys. Eleven of them. It’ll be hard, because you’ll still be struggling with that crap guitar – but do it anyway. 6. Noodle Record your brilliant rhythm parts and then play over them. Start by just working around the top line and then, after a week or so, pretend you don’t know the melody and just follow the important notes of the chords (the ones you "hear" best) and throw your scales over them. 7. Forget your roots, find Django’s You probably grew up listening to the Beatles, the Stones, Nirvana or that Spears woman. It doesn’t matter – remove all these things from your life. Listen exclusively to French valses, flamenco, Bach, Satchmo’s Hot Seven and the like. Then bring in some Django, and the better disciples (Rosenberg Trio, Romane...). Avoid the speed-freaks such as Jimmy Rosenberg – pick up the melodic sense (which often gets lost when too many notes are involved). Speedfreaks will just intimidate you, pointlessly. Django will intimidate you, of course, but that does have a point... 8. Noodle solo Forget the backing tapes. Just pick up a guitar and make beautiful music.
Don’t
worry
about
what
you’re
playing,
just
play....
When
you
spouse/parents/offspring/SO/poodle think it sounds nice, move on to... 9. Buy a Selmer (or a good replica) You are now ready. It’s time to phone up Maurice Dupont (or your luthier of choice). You’ll be relatively scrappy, but you won’t actually embarrass yourself. And you’ll sound a lot better than you used to... 10.
Grow a moustache
You need this before your first gig. No manouche guitarist can be taken seriously without one. If you’re under sixteen (or female) then buy one from a joke shop. And if you’ve reached this stage in less than 6 months, you’re either a genius or you’re lying to yourself....
TIPS FOR PLAYING AT SAMOIS By Ed Parsons (Editor's
note:
Ed
Parsons,
aka
Archtop
Eddy,
is
a
guitarist
from
Colorado who plays in Mango fan Django. This year he took his first trip to Samois. In the article below, he offers advice to guitarists for their firsttime
travel
to
the
festival.
Ed
can
be
reached
through
the
website
mangofandjango.com). There are two types of guitar players that go to Samois. Those that play and those that watch. The thought of jumping into a jam session with all those incredible players can be daunting. Every time you pick up a guitar, you're surrounded by a crowd of expectant on-lookers. This year, I took my first trip to Samois, and my guitar spent too much time sitting in the gig bag. This won't happen to me next time. And if you're prepared, it doesn't have to happen to you either. Here are my suggestions for first-time pickers going to the festival. If you follow these very basic tips, I guarantee you'll be ready to play at the next Samois! First, take your guitar. Don't let anxiety stop you from making the most of your experience. If you don't have a guitar, stop by one of the luthier booth such as Gerome or Dupont's. They have a fine variety of instruments for you to try. Keep I mind though, if you don't have your own guitar you may not be able to join the spontaneous jam sessions at the cafes and campgrounds. Second, be ready to play rhythm. This is especially true if you aren't dead-ready to tackle lead. I saw a lot of players standing around watching, perhaps not ready to solo in the company of some of the best gypsy jazz players in the world. Could you blame them? The problem was they couldn't play rhythm either because they didn't know the chord changes. I'm not talking about reading chord charts; I'm talking about knowing the chord changes. After checking numerous jam sessions, I noticed something else. Some of the same songs cropped up time and time again. This made me think of this next suggestion. Memorize the chord progressions to the most popular "jam session" songs. Be ready to play them as confidently as you can play Minor Swing. The top contenders during the three days included: Sweet Georgia Brown, All of Me, Nuages (in G), Honeysuckle Rose, Djangology and Dark Eyes. (I'm assuming you know Minor Swing but if you don't, add it to the front of the list.). If you're already familiar with these songs, great! Just make sure you're playing them in the proper keys and with absolute confidence. Make sure you're using the correct gypsy-style chord forms. And above all, make sure you're doing it all from memory. (They don't use no stinkin' chord charts at Samois!).
Remember, and I can't emphasize this enough-the trick is to really know these songs. Don't worry about knowing a whole head-full of songs. The songs in the above list will pop up often enough to give you plenty of time to play. Your goal is to be the absolute rhythm master of these songs. Afterward, if you've got the chops, brain-cells, and the time, lock in other songs. A safe bet would be popular Hot Club standards such as Swing 42, Daphne, or Belleville. At the jams I heard quite a bit of Autumn Leaves, Bossa Dorado, and I Can't Give You Anything But Love. Some of you may be saying, "I don't want to play rhythm, I want to play lead." In that case, I'd say, "Go ye forth guitarist and blaze your own path. Be true to yourself." However, remember a great rhythm player is always appreciated by both soloists and bass players alike. Playing rhythm is a sure ticket at Samois. Six of the songs mentioned above are included in Paul Meader and Robin Nolan's Gypsy Jazz songbook which comes with a play-along CD. You can buy this product from their website at www.robinnolantrio.com. I bought the book and CD in Samois and love them. The CD contains 15 tracks and is a great way to work up rhythm and lead skills. The songbook identifies correct gypsy-style chord forms and provides sound advice to both rhythm guitar and bass players. My next suggestion is that you get in some time with your guitar before the festival. This year, my fiancee and I visited Paris before going to Samois. Paris was wonderful but all the sight-seeing limited my practice time. Next time, I'll take a couple of days off before flying to France and be more mentally and physically prepared. Not having the "up-front" time greatly added to my reluctance to play publicly in Samois. But play publicly in Samois I did! And, while I wish that I'd played more often, the times I played were very rewarding. One personal highlight was playing with Robin Nolan, Paul Meader, Paul Mehling, Andy MacKenzie and other great players at a hotel lobby and later, at an outdoor cafe. Both Robin and Paul Mehling were very supportive of everyone who joined in. Additionally, it was also great meeting Paul Meader, Andy, Frank Forte, Ian Cruickshank and a host of other fine players-Europeans, North Americans, and gypsies alike. Tony Green of New Orleans took the time to run me through some new material; and my fiancee Laura, my friends Pascal (aka the Waffle Kid), Wayne-O and Barbara; Patrick Saussois and his wife Laudie, and Mary and Peter Honcoop - all added greatly to my experience. My final suggestion is to know when to play and when not to play. Keep your enthusiasm in check. Don't bulldoze over other players. Keep your head clear
about
the
situation
around
you.
Several
times
I
saw
interlopers
intruding on a jam session, playing poorly, playing out of context, or just plain playing when they shouldn't have. Sad to say, this usually happened after
the
intruders
had
imbibed
in
excessive
alcohol.
I
witnessed
some
delicate and beautiful jam sessions disintegrate into mediocrity thanks to a few thoughtless participants. Trust me, these "players" were noticed - and not in ways they wanted to be. One of your goals at Samois ought to be to learn something new. You can't do this if you focus all of your energy on only your playing. Make the most of your trip. Spend some time listening, watching, and talking with other players. Being in Samois was like being at one big family get-together where everyone
was
supportive
and
generous
with
their
time,
knowledge,
and
friendship. I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful to you, and hopefully the next time I'm at the Samois festival, we'll get a chance to do some jamming.
COMPING by Steve Korn I’d like to share a few thoughts about comping, a subject that could easily fill a book. Rather than diving in too deeply, I would like to outline three fundamental conceptual approaches to jazz drumset comping. But first, a basic definition: Comping is the practice of providing a supportive foundation upon which a soloist can improvise. The term comping is derived from the words accompany and compliment, terms that both imply a sense of support. This is vital to effective comping, as the relationship between soloist and accompanist is defined by which player is leading and which is supporting. The moment that the comping is not supportive the relationship becomes a duet of equals, not a bad thing when intended, but sometimes the line is inadvertently crossed. What is important is that the comping is relative to what the soloist is playing, to the composition and to the vibe that has been established. Imagine yourself talking with a couple of friends. Generally, there is one main speaker at any given time, in musical terms, the soloist. The others comp for the soloist by listening and responding to what is being said. This will
include
remarks
like,
uh-huh,
yea
and
oh,
remarks
that
affirm
comprehension and encourage the speaker to continue. These comments usually occur in the spaces between the speaker’s sentences rather than in the middle, allowing
the
complete
idea
to
be
expressed.
This
parallels
the
first
conceptual approach, functional comping.
FUNCTIONAL COMPING Like the conversational example above, functional comping is the short rhythmic figures played to help outline the form of a piece and provide a frame to the soloist’s phrases. Imagine someone speaking to you and you offer
absolutely no response, instead blankly staring him in the face. It would be awkward for the speaker just as soloing over straight time devoid of any rhythmic variance would be. By playing short, simple rhythmic figures that carry the listener and soloist from one section of the composition to another, the drummer can help to provide a subtle frame of reference. These short figures
are
the
uh-huhs
and
yeas
that
help
the
flow
of
language
in
a
conversational setting. In my experience, functional comping figures are most effective if they are simple and short. Generally no longer than two beats. I say this because it’s important to avoid rhythmically colliding with the soloist, especially at the ends of their phrases. Too much activity over the end of the soloist’s phrase will not support their idea but rather obscure it. In a more advanced conception of this idea, many drummers will avoid clearly “marking” phrases or will displace their figures in an effort to provide some element of surprise and tension. Regardless of how it is manipulated, the concept still achieves the same goal of outlining form and phrasing. Sometimes when talking with friends we find that the conversation starts at one place, gradually developing to another. This natural flow is imperative to a creative exchange of ideas and is often the result of input from the comping listeners to the soloist speaker. For example a conversation about health-care can easily become one about politics when a few simple remarks are made from the compers to the soloist speaker who in turn addresses those ideas, which further
leads
to
remarks
from
the
comping
participants
and
so
on.
The
conversation follows a logical path because the interjected remarks are not random or unrelated to what the speaker is talking about, health-care and politics are interrelated issues. The result is that through the course of the conversation a connecting thread can be seen which reveals the development and flow of ideas. This demonstrates the most vital relationship between soloist and compers and demonstrates the concept of interactive comping.
INTERACTIVE COMPING Interactive comping involves listening and responding to the ideas the soloist is playing. Ideally, the responses support the soloist’s ideas and in turn inspire him to continue developing them. The goal is in creating a sense of
interplay,
musically
conversing
with
the
soloist
while
maintaining
a
supportive stance. The relationship between soloist and comping players is as highly varied as different conceptions of improvisation. Some soloists are very thematic and motivic, developing small, fragmented ideas. These types of players usually like to be very involved with the comping instruments because their style lends itself to involved rhythmic manipulation. Some soloists play longer, more melodic phrases and often like to hear longer, more melodic phrases from the comping players. Sometimes these players prefer very little
interaction and activity from the rhythm section, preferring to float over the top
of
the
ensemble.
Some
like
the
basic
call
and
response
model
of
interaction. There are many different approaches and the key is in listening to the soloist, paying attention to how they respond to what you give them. Sometimes players meet and have an immediate understanding for one another’s needs, sometimes it takes a little time to develop a feel for what works.
TEXTURAL COMPING The last concept I’d like to touch on is related to interactive comping. Textural comping is the use of sound colors and textures to create a desired effect. This can be the combination of different sound sources or a wash of rapidly played notes. These effects are often not related to specific ideas played by a soloist, but rather are intended to enhance the vibe being created by the whole ensemble. Sometimes the music has a mysterious quality that is intensified by scraping a stick across a cymbal. Perhaps the energy level reaches a point that rapid tom-toms and cymbal crashes will push it over the edge. Sometimes a lot of rhythmic comping sets the vibe for a performance. Check-out the way Elvin Jones played behind Coltrane, often very dense and colorful. Or, the way Tony Williams would interrupt stretches of straight time with brief explosions of drums and cymbals. What is specifically played is less
important
than
the
collective
sound
and
energy.
This
approach
is
interactive comping in the sense that it is a response to what is happening musically, it simply responds to the collective vibe more than to a specific soloist.
GENERAL THOUGHTS I’ve
presented
the
three
concepts
above
from
the
perspective
of
a
drummer responding to a soloist, but it is also very common to respond to the comping of the other members of the rhythm section as well. The rhythm section must function as a comping unit if it is going to provide effective support. The soloist is responding to the entire unit, so it’s imperative as a drummer that I am listening to the soloist and my rhythm section bandmates. When a soloist begins his solo, I usually simplify, perhaps moving entirely into the realm of functional comping. If the rhythm section backs off a little, it gives the soloist an opportunity to take it into the direction they want rather than being forced to come in kicking and screaming. What’s important is that the rhythm section is sensitive enough to immediately respond to the first notes the soloist plays, supporting the vibe being created. As a solo develops, it’s important not to push the soloist, forcing them to go in a particular direction. It’s their solo, let them set the pace. Something I try
to avoid is jumping on to obvious rhythmic patterns played by the soloist. This is kind of like listening to someone speak and ending all of their sentences with them because you know what they are going to say. Secondly, the cool thing about rhythmic patterns is how they work against the time, creating rhythmic tension. If the entire rhythm section gets on the pattern, it is no longer pushing against anything and the tension is lost. Sometimes I like to play
a
contrasting
rhythmic
pattern,
heightening
tension,
dramatically
releasing when both phrases end together. I don’t want to give the impression that I never play a soloist’s rhythmic pattern with him, sometimes it does sound good, but I do try to avoid over doing it. Similarly, I try to avoid too much
direct
mimicking
of
the
soloist’s
rhythmic
fragments.
That’s
like
repeating words after someone says them to you. All of this might lead you to ask what I do play? I try to think about creating counterpoint to the melodies and rhythms that I am hearing. I will often take fragments of what the soloist plays and develop my own lines from them. This is very similar to the way the Baroque era composers like J.S. Bach would construct contrapuntal pieces like inventions and fugues. With this concept I try to comp complete ideas rather than connecting scattered rhythmic fragments, yet I’m always ready to abandon my line if it sounds like it will conflict with the soloist. This approach is far more interesting and challenging to me as it forces me to deal with the music that is being created around me. This isn’t always easy or successful, but to me it is the essence of truly playing and creating as a group in the moment. I would also venture to say that at least 30-40% of what I’m playing fits into the functional comping category. This is because so much of what I play is in reference to the composition and the form. Playing the form is an enormous part of my responsibilities as a drummer and it is something I am always aware of. Soloists often develop their ideas around the built in developmental mechanisms of the form as well as draw material from the melody. So, if I am paying attention to the form and melody, I will very likely relate to and support the soloist. One of the best pieces of musical advice I’ve ever received was from my friend Adam Nussbaum. He told me, “Don’t sit down and play the drums, sit down and play music”. I try to take this to heart every time I get behind my set. I’m not always successful, sometimes I’m thinking more about what I’m playing on the drums than about what is happening around me, but it really is the ideal way to approach creating music. Sometimes I hear drummers that sound like they’re listening only to themselves, playing the latest licks in their bag of tricks. I find this type of playing confusing and distasteful. It’s like being in a conversation, randomly throwing in big impressive words regardless of their relevance or meaning to the context of the discussion. I can imagine that it is distracting for the soloist as well. Playing in the moment, dealing with what is happening around you provides a profound challenge to your imagination and technical skills. You often find
yourself playing things you’ve never played before and to me that is a very exciting
place
to
be.
Lets
talk
about
licks.
I
don’t
want
to
give
the
impression that I never play them, on the contrary, I play them all of the time. They are a big part of my musical vocabulary and if you hear me perform a few times you are likely to hear things you’ve heard me play before. Everyone is like this. No one is constantly in a mode of playing completely new and original ideas. In fact, these are the things, along with tone, that make players identifiable. Just like speaking, we often find ourselves using the same set of words and re-expressing ideas. It is simply the way we think. This is not a bad thing. I play what I play because it is what I am hearing in that moment. I use the same ideas a lot because I hear them. Inserting licks just to play licks without regard for the music in the moment is what we are trying to avoid. It’s important to remember that there are as many different ways to approach comping as there are individuals playing music. I think what is important is to try to approach the bandstand without preconceived ideas of what or how you will play. It’s better to wait, listen and respond to what you are
hearing
in
the
moment,
while
also
composition is unfolding, the big picture.
maintaining
a
sense
of
how
the
RHYTHM Technically rhythm durations.
is the timing pattern created by notes of different
(A measure may contain more or less notes than beats.)
superimposed upon the beat.
Rhythm is
(To illustrate this sing Jingle Bells while clap-
ping your hands to a steady beat. Another use of the word has to do with an attribute of a musician. ("That
player
coordination
has
good
rhythm
.")
in sync with time.
Here
the
word
refers
to
a
player's
It is this sense of the word that we will
deal with in this chapter. Lack of rhythm (coordination) can be a major cause of frustration for beginners but is also evident in many intermediate players.
It may mean the
difference between success and failure as rhythm difficulties slow down the learning process, both in terms of technique and in perception of musical phrases.
Also, within a group a single player without rhythm may become a
"rhythm parasite", relying on others to keep the beat while creating havoc with the tempo of the music (I find that many bluegrass players in their rush to play fast, have ignored rhythmic development. or rushing of the tempo.
The result is "snowballing",
(It only takes one person in a group of four or five
to create this undesirable effect.
Watch a player's foot to see if they are
tapping right on the beat or if they are tapping arbitrarily.)
The following
exercise is invaluable not only as a remedy for rushing, but also for long term rhythmic development and coordination). The exercises in this chapter are a form of bilateral motor development, a type of physical therapy if you will.
The exercises are heiarchial and each
can be achieved quickly with patient focussed intent.
WALKING AND CHEWING GUM Every musician must be a "drummer" in the sense that your body must be in sync with the music you are playing. are able to play drums.) imaginary drum kit.
(Many professional musicians I know
These coordination exercises will be played on an
(Tap your hands on your legs while you tap your feet.)
The following is a common 4/4 drum pattern that involves the four limbs. is the final goal of the exercises.
LEFT FOOT RIGHT FOOT LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND
(hi-hat)
1
(bass drum)
1
(snare drum) (ride cymbal)
2
3 3
2 1 and
4
2 and
4 3 and
4 and
It
This
drum
pattern
can
be
learned
step-by-step
in
four
phases.
The
follow- ing exercises should be done with a metronome starting at 60-80 beats per minute. Do each exercise until it becomes automatized . (That is, until it is automatic--You should be able to carry on a conversation while doing this.) Then speed up gradually.
PHASE ONE: SINGLE LIMBS THE LEFT FOOT keeps the meter (steady beat) while tapping quarter notes (single-beat notes) on the "high-hat". (On a drum kit, this is the foot pedal that clangs two cymbals together.) Practice while counting with the metronome. (Start at 60-80 bpm then gradually increase.) NOTE: Keep the foot on the ground until the next beat occurs--do not invol- untarily pick up the foot on the "up-beat" (the "and") as this will encourage rushing. (You are after total control with no flinching!)
count: LF:
1 (and) 2 (and) 3 (and) 4 (and) . . . tap (hold) tap (hold) tap (hold) tap (hold) . . . THE RIGHT FOOT taps the "bass drum", half notes (two-beat notes) on
beats one and three. Keep the foot on the ground until the next tap.
count: RF:
1 tap
2 (hold)
3 tap
4 (hold)
... ...
THE RIGHT HAND taps continuous eight notes (half beats) on the "ride cymbal" (right knee).
count: RH:
1 and 2 and tap tap tap tap
3 and tap tap
4 and tap tap
... ...
THE LEFT HAND taps quarter notes on the "snare drum" (left knee) on beats two and four. (Keep the hand down until the next beat.)
count: LH:
1 (hold)
2 tap
3 (hold)
4 tap
... ...
EXERCISE: Playing In A Circle The four limbs create a "circle". Clockwise starting from the left foot the order is LF-LH-RH-RF. Starting slowly (with a metronome), play each limb for four measures while you count "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4 3-2-3-4 4-2-3-4". Without
stopping proceed to the next limb and do the same. Continue with each limb around
the
circle
counterclockwise
until
circle
it
becomes
(LF-RF-RH-LH).
fluent. Gradually
Then
do
increase
the
same
speed
in
in
a
both
directions. When this is mastered decrease the number of measures played by each limb to two measures while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4". Play in both directions (continually, then increase speed). Finally, play one measure with each limb (four continual measures in either direction) while counting "1-2-34 2-2-3-4 3-2-3-4 4-2-3-4". Gradually increase the speed. Do not advance to phase two until phase one is mastered. PHASE TWO: PAIRS Now you must walk and chew gum. The following exercises are done two limbs at a time. There are six combinations. Start at 60-80 bpm, do each exercise until it becomes automatic, then increase speed. FEET
cou nt: LF:
1
2
3
4
...
tap
tap
tap
tap
...
tap
RF:
(hol
tap
d)
(hol
...
d)
HANDS
count: LH: RH:
1 and 2 and (hold) tap tap tap tap tap
3 and (hold) tap tap
4 and tap tap tap
... ... ...
3 tap (hold)
4 tap tap
... ... ...
3 and tap tap tap
4 and (hold) tap tap
... ... ...
3 tap
4 (hold)
... ...
LEFT SIDE
count: LF: LH:
1 tap (hold)
2 tap tap
RIGHT SIDE
count: RF: RH:
1 and 2 and tap (hold) tap tap tap tap
DRUM CROSSOVER
count: RF:
1 tap
2 (hold)
LH:
(hold)
tap
(hold)
tap
...
3 and tap tap tap
4 and tap tap tap
... ... ...
CYMBAL CROSSOVER
count: LF: RH:
1 and 2 and tap tap tap tap tap tap
Be sure to rid your body of flinches (involuntary movements) such as the left foot, right foot, and left hand lifting too soon. (You want to attain total control!) Do not advance to phase three until phase two is mastered.
EXERCISE: Switching Pairs Combinations of the six pairs of limbs can be systematically practiced as follows. HANDS-FEET: Starting slowly (with a metronome) play the hands in four- measure increments while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4 3-2-3-4 4-2-3-4". Without stopping shift to the feet. Speed up gradually until fluent. Reduce to two-measure increments while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4", then reduce to onemeasure increments while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4 3-2-3-4 4-2-3-4". LEFT SIDE-RIGHT SIDE: Starting slowly (with a metronome) play the left side in four-measure
increments
while
counting
"1-2-3-4
2-2-3-4
3-2-3-4
4-2-3-4".
Without stopping shift to the right side. Speed up gradually until fluent. Reduce to two-measure increments while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4", then reduce to one-measure increments while counting "1-2-3-4 2-2-3-4 3-2-3-4 4-2-3-4". DRUM CROSSOVER-CYMBAL CROSSOVER: Do the same exercise as above with these combinations. LEFT SIDE-FEET: (same) LEFT SIDE-HANDS: (same) LEFT SIDE-DRUM CROSSOVER: (same) LEFT SIDE-CYMBAL CROSSOVER: (same) RIGHT SIDE-FEET: (same) RIGHT SIDE-HANDS: (same) RIGHT SIDE-DRUM CROSSOVER: (same) RIGHT SIDE-CYMBAL CROSSOVER: (same) HANDS-DRUM CROSSOVER: (same) HANDS-CYMBAL CROSSOVER: (same) FEET-DRUM CROSSOVER: (same) FEET-CYMBAL CROSSOVER: (same) Do not advance to phase three until all elements of phase two are mas- tered. PHASE THREE: TRIOS Now you must walk, chew gum, and recite the Gettysburg Address. The following exercises are done three limbs at a time. There are four combina- tions. Start at 60-80 bpm, do each exercise until it becomes automatic, then slowly build up speed. NO LEFT HAND
count: LF: RF: RH:
1 tap tap tap tap
2 tap (hold) tap tap
3 tap tap tap tap
4 tap (hold) tap tap
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
NO RIGHT HAND
count: LF: RF: LH:
1 tap tap (hold)
2 tap (hold) tap
3 tap tap (hold)
4 tap (hold) tap
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
3 (hold) tap tap tap
4 tap (hold) tap tap
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
3 tap (hold) tap tap
4 tap tap tap tap
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
NO LEFT FOOT
count: LH: RF: RH:
1 (hold) tap tap tap
2 tap (hold) tap tap
NO RIGHT FOOT
count: LF: LH: RH:
1 tap (hold) tap tap
2 tap tap tap tap
EXERCISE: Switching Trios Combinations of the four trios of limbs can be systematically practiced as follows. NO LEFT HAND-NO RIGHT HAND: Play in four measure increments, then two measures, and finally one measure. Slowly at first, then increase speed. NO LEFT HAND-NO LEFT FOOT: (same) NO LEFT HAND-NO RIGHT FOOT: (same) NO RIGHT HAND-NO LEFT FOOT: (same) NO RIGHT HAND-NO RIGHT FOOT: (same) NO LEFT FOOT-NO RIGHT FOOT: (same) Do not advance to phase four until all elements of phase three are mas- tered. PHASE FOUR: ALL TOGETHER NOW! Starting at 60-80 bpm, do the
exercise
while
counting
"1-2-3-4
2-2-3-4
3-2-3-4
4-2-3-4".
until
it
becomes automatic. Gradually increase speed, then go join a rock band as a drummer.
count: LF: RF: LH: RH:
1 tap tap (hold) tap tap
2 tap (hold) tap tap tap
3 tap tap (hold) tap tap
4 tap (hold) tap tap tap
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
GET SYNCHOPATED! Let's advance to the next level. Assuming you've made it this far, this will not take a lot of work. Change only the bass drum (right foot) as follows:
count: RF:
1 tap
2 and 3 (hold) tap tap
4 and . . . (hold) tap
Go through all exercises involving the right foot. If you enjoy drumming (and who doesn't--just look at Animal in the Muppet Band!) there is a great device for the novice. The Yamaha company makes makes an electronic drum kit that can be bought for $300.00 or under (adapter sold separately). It is the model DD-50 (digital drums) and does so many amazing things, among them: It is complete touch-sensitive 5-piece drum set complete with hi-hat trigger (opened and closed), bass drum trigger, snare, three toms, and two cymbals. It is very light and about the size of a breadbox (do they still make those things?). Two speakers are built in. It gets pretty loud, so if you want to jam with the stereo . . . There is also headphone input that deactivates the speakers if you want to practice in private. You can also plug it into an external amplifier or p.a. system. It sounds amazing! It can run on batteries, but I strongly sug- gest getting the a.c. adapter. 75 on-board percussion sounds can be assigned to any pad or trigger. (In otherwords you can design your own sets.) It has memory storage for 20 different kits. Now the clincher. Besides having a built-in metronome it also has 100 songs of varying style built in. You can change tempo and add or subtract the drums. (Can you tell I used to work in a music store?) All in all it's a super impressive tool (and toy) for not too much moola. Many of my students have bought them and it has made a marked improvement in their overall rhythm. (Besides being able to work out their frustrations by pounding on something!).
Learn the fundamentals of jazz chords. The
term
jazz
chord
conjures
up
confusion
and
mystery
for
many
guitarists. The fingerings are unfamiliar, and technical terms such as major seven,
seven
flat
nine,
dominant
seven
suspended
with
a
sharp
11,
and
diminished (I’ve heard this referred to as "demented") are enough to scare anyone off for years. Add to that the perceived difficulty of playing these chords all over the neck and you’ve got a strong enough excuse to avoid them for the rest of your life. On the other hand, jazz chords offer the guitarist a vastly expanded palette of tonal colors and entry into an unlimited universe of modern music,
including pop, rock, and classical. And if you want to play swing or jazz, they’re essential. The good news is that once you get into these types of chords, you’ll find a system that is logical, regular, and easy to use. The trick is to discover a bridge from what you know to what you don’t know. In this lesson, we’ll make that bridge out of the blues by looking at the chords to a simple blues
riff,
the
kind
that
players
as
diverse
as
Louis
Armstrong,
Benny
Goodman, Bob Wills, Django Reinhardt, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, Wynton Marsalis, and George Benson have all composed, played,
and
recorded.
We’ll
learn
some
basic
closed-position
chords
and
discuss how to move them around. In the process, we’ll transpose our blues riff from the key of G to the key of Bb. Musically speaking, there is no such thing as a "jazz chord," any more than there are special cubist colors for painters or designated mystery words for writers. A chord is a chord, and jazz chords are often just basic chords played in unfamiliar forms and positions on the fretboard, or extended or altered versions of these same basic chords. The former can include chords played up the neck in closed positions, which are sometimes called barre chords.
These
chords
don’t
utilize
open
strings;
each
note
is
fretted.
Extended chords have notes--the nines, 11s, 13s, etc.--added to basic triads (chords with three notes). Altered chords have one or more notes changed, as in flatted fives or sharp nines. The main emphasis here is on closed-position and barre chords. If you’ve tried them on an acoustic guitar, especially one with high action, you know how difficult they can be to play correctly without buzzes or unintentionally muted notes. One of the reasons we use closed-position chords is that they can be moved up and down the neck. Knowing this, you can learn chords by form and move these forms anywhere. A chord then becomes, for example, a dominant seven form rather than, say, merely a G7 chord. Most chord forms can be played in at least 12 different places on the fretboard. Here’s an example: The chord on the left below is the familiar form of the G7 chord that uses open strings. The 0’s above the grid denote strings played open. The chord on the right is a closed-position dominant seven form played at the third fret. It’s also a G7. With this form, the first and fifth strings are muted; the X’s above the grid show which strings do not sound.
The open form is not movable, and we’d have to learn a totally different form for an F7 or a Bb7 chord. By contrast, the closed form is movable and yields a new chord at every fret. Move it down two frets and it’s an F7. Move it up to the sixth fret and it’s a Bb7. Closed-position chords also allow you to control the rhythmic sound of the strum with the fretting hand by loosening the grip between strums just enough to mute all the sound from the strings. This creates a rhythmic pulse, usually called a comp, that reinforces the groove and swing of the chords played in swing and jazz as well as in blues, rock, and country music. If you have open strings in the chord, you can’t easily shut off the sound like this. A blues riff is made up of a repeating lick played over blues chord changes, in this case with a 12-measure form. You’ll find this basic chord progression in thousands of tunes played all over the world. The blues riff you’ll learn here is presented in three versions of varying difficulty. The first version is in G, and the other two are in Bb. All use only closedposition chords. Each could be played with simple open-position chords, but open chords won’t allow easy transposition up and down the neck or let you play the comp mentioned above. The chords in "Blues in G" are all dominant seven chords, which consist of a basic triad with the flatted seventh of the chord’s major scale added. They’re usually just called seventh chords. Here’s a very brief explanation. The G-major scale looks like this: G Do 1
A Re 2
B Mi 3
C Fa 4
D Sol 5
E La 6
F# Ti 7
G Do 8
A G-major triad is made up of the 1, 3, and 5 notes of the G-major scale, as shown in this chord diagram.
Even though we’re playing six notes, we’re really only playing three different notes: G, B, and D, which are the 1, 3, and 5 of the G-major scale. If we add the flatted seven of the G-major scale, the Fn note, to this basic G triad, we’ll end up with a G dominant seven chord. (The seven of the G scale is an F#. Flatting the note lowers it one half step to an F natural.)
Every chord has a unique recipe, and a chord’s name reflects the scale tones it includes. In the process of learning a chord system, you’ll identify how each chord form supplies the correct ingredient chord tones and learn how to apply each in a variety of different situations. The chord forms in this blues riff are from a collection of "orchestral" chords commonly played in big bands in the 1930s and ’40s. They’re big, beefy chords, and they’re great for swing and traditional jazz. Most are four-string chords with muted first or fifth strings. In the chord diagrams below, each form can be identified by determining which chord tone is in the bass. The first chord shown is a dominant seven form with the 1 or root in the bass. Since this is a G7 chord, the bass note is a G. The second form is a dominant seven with the fifth in the bass. Since this is a C7, the bass note is G. The third form is the same as the second, only two frets higher. In this D7, the fifth or bass note is an A.
Take some time to learn these forms. If you’re new to playing closedposition chords, be advised that it takes a while to build up the strength in your fretting hand so you can play them cleanly and up to speed. To get the required swing feel, start by setting up a rhythm pattern, all downstrokes, made up of four even strums in each measure. Once you can do that, try damping each strum a split second after you sound it and before you play the next one by loosening your fretting hand’s grip just enough to stop the sound without creating buzzes.
After you’ve mastered the chords, try learning the melody, which, just like the chords, is written in the tablature in a closed and thus movable form. Now let’s move this whole tune up three frets (or a minor third) to the key of Bb. Try doing this in your head. Close your eyes and picture the chords you just learned at their new position. After you move your fretting hand up, everything will be the same, just higher on the neck. If you have problems, look at the chord grids. Chord charts are quite different from standard music and tablature. The first thing you’ll notice is that there’s no written melody. Instead, there are slashes like this (/ / / /), four to a measure, which represent the four strums/beats in each measure. The chords and their positions are written above the measures. Don’t forget to try playing your riffs in Bb.
Once you can play the first version of "Blues in Bb," try number two, with several new chord forms. These changes are typical of a standard 12-bar jazz blues, with many chords played for only two beats/strums (note the first four measures). This gives the tune a kind of forward motion. The first measure begins with a new movable Bb chord that uses all six strings and the first finger as a barre. (The alternate fingering shown in the first chord diagram has the thumb instead of the first finger acting as the barre.) The first time it appears, each chord is diagrammed below its grid to show where each part of the chord lies: 1, 3, 5, b7, etc.
The E diminished chord in measure 2, sometimes notated with a small open circle (o), uses a different string set than most of the other chords. In this case you mute strings one and six. The "dim 7" notation under the third string
of the grid means "diminished seven," and this note is one half step lower than the flatted seven note. The natural seven of the E-major scale is a D#, so the flatted seven is Dn. Lower it one more half step to Db. Measure 11 uses another diminished form; this one, like the dominant sevens from "Blues in G," mutes the first and fifth strings. The G7 in measure 8 is shown with a familiar
alternate.
Any
G7
chord
form,
even
the
open-string
G7,
can
be
substituted here. Get in the habit of figuring out different voicings to substitute even though your fretting hand may be jumping from the third fret to the eighth fret. Ultimately you’ll want to avoid these big jumps, but for now, experiment to learn where all the chords are. What other dominant seven form can you substitute for the given first chord in measure 2? The C minor seven (Cm7) in measure 9 is another "orchestral" chord with muted first and fifth strings. The root is in the bass, as you can see from the diagram, and the chord is made up of the notes C, Eb, G, and Bb, which are the 1, b3, 5, and b7 of the C-major scale. Finally, measures 11 and 12 make up what is called a turnaround. These chords are meant to turn the progression back to the beginning for another time through. If you were ending the tune, you could hold a Bb chord through both measures. Musicians often play the chords used in the turnaround as a repeating "vamp" to begin a tune or kill time before the singer comes in. Memorize all the chords and concentrate on keeping a groove, no matter how slow or fast you play. Once you can play the Bb versions, bump everything up two more frets to the key of C. Don’t stop there--move farther up the neck and then back down again. This type of transposing practice is the most important thing you can do to teach yourself how these chords work.
DISCOGRAPHY - MASTERS OF SWING RHYTHM It’s difficult to describe on paper the rhythmic pulse or comp you need to play in this style. Listening to just about any big-band swing guitarist from the 1930s or ’40s will give you an idea of what to shoot for. This can be a frustrating exercise because it’s often difficult to hear clearly what the rhythm guitarist is doing above the sound of the rest of the band. Your best chance of identifying the sound is on slower tunes behind vocals or piano solos. Listen closely (you may need headphones) to Freddie Green with Count Basie. There are three or four cuts, including "Hey, Pretty Baby," on Basie’s Basement (Bluebird/RCA 61065), where Green’s very subtle magic is evident. Charlie Christian’s rhythm can occasionally be heard with the Benny Goodman Sextet (Benny Goodman Sextet, Featuring Charlie Christian, Columbia 45144; Charlie Christian, The Genius of the Electric Guitar, Columbia 40846). Of course Christian’s historic, exciting, and brilliant lead playing is always right up front and featured. Django Reinhardt’s recordings with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France have very prominent rhythm guitar, often with two
rhythm guitarists behind the leads. The Hot Club rhythm style is, well, "hot": on top of the beat, not as laid back as the bluesier Basie/Green style. Duet records by George Barnes and Carl Kress are great for hearing two different styles of comping, as each guitarist backs up the other. A favorite recording of mine, with very clear--though more modern--comping, is Kress and Barnes’ Two
Guitars
(Jass
636).
Also
recommended
are
recordings
by
the
Ruby
Braff/George Barnes Quartet, which was drummerless and included an acoustic rhythm guitarist, and Basie Jam 2 (Pablo 631) with Joe Pass.
A Comparative Study of Rhythm Guitar Styles by Michael Pettersen Tablature by Mark Allen August 2002 Introduction Freddie Green's rhythm guitar style is unique - - Freddie does not sound like other famous rhythm guitarists. This lesson attempts to illustrate his uniqueness by comparing five different examples of a twelve bar blues in G. These examples are not transcriptions. All five examples were composed by the author in the style of the player, or in the style of the music. Note: Be certain to mute any string that is not fingered, but strum all the strings. See Appendix 1 for a primer on rhythm guitar technique. Example #1 - Western Swing
This style was born in the late 1940's with the rise of Western Swing a hybrid of western-themed songs with jazz rhythm and harmony. Note the four note rhythm chords and the use of dominant 9th and 13th voicings. Though this style of rhythm guitar could be played on a flattop instrument, an archtop guitar was typically used. Examples of this type of guitar can be heard on recordings from Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Riders In The Sky, and Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. Example 1A and 1B are compliments of Ranger Doug Green, the superb rhythm guitarist with Riders In The Sky. Example #1A
Example #1B
Example #2 - Allan Reuss (see Appendix 2)
This style of aggressive, yet swinging rhythm playing came about as the guitar replaced the banjo in big bands. Note the widely spaced three note voicings. These voicings have an uncluttered quality and are easy to finger, thus allowing very fast chord changes. Example #3 - Teddy Wilson (see Appendix 3)
Pianist Teddy Wilson's style of playing influenced all rhythm guitar players in the 1930's and 1940's. Wilson created a unique harmonic style where a new chord voicing would be played on each beat. He had very large hands and developed two and three note left hand voicings that were impossible for most pianists. The interval between the lower left hand voice and the higher voice was a major or minor tenth. Difficult on piano, a tenth is easy on guitar by using the 6th and 3rd strings as these two strings are tuned a minor tenth apart. Often Wilson added a middle note to the chord that would be a minor 6th, major 6th, minor 7th, or major 7th above the lowest note. On guitar, this middle voice would be played on the 4th string. These three note "Teddy Wilson" chords form the foundation of big band rhythm guitar voicings. Example #4 - Barry Galbraith (see Appendix 4)
This style is not as aggressive as Example #2. It is a cooler, more subtle style and harmonically more adventurous. Typical of big bands in the 1950's, the guitar would be miked and therefore the guitarist would not have to strum as hard to be heard. Example #5 - Freddie Green
Much like Basie simplifed his piano playing as his band grew larger and played more complex arrangements, Freddie Green did as well. His guitar style is based on the three note voicings shown in Examples 2, 3 and 4, but he would often choose to sound only one or two notes of the three note voicings. This
technique allowed Green to create counter melodies and moving lines that did not conflict with the bass player or with Basie. Appendix 1 Fundamentals of Swing Rhythm Guitar What types of music use this style of rhythm guitar?
Swing Big Band - Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman
Western Swing - Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Gypsy Swing - Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France What type of guitar is used?
Archtop (f-hole) acoustic guitar with heavy strings.
Use a pick with a thickness of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. What are the basics of swing rhythm guitar? Four strums to the bar: hold down a chord with the left hand, and strike
the strings with the right hand on every beat of the tune. Rhythm
guitar
is
about
time,
not
about
complex
chord
voicings:
concentrate on time. "Choo-chit-choo-chit" describes the rhythm guitar sound. "Choo" on beats 1 and 3; "chit" on beats 2 and 4. Beats 1 and 3 have a longer sound, while beats 2 and 4 have a much shorter sound. Create the "chit" sound by releasing the left hand pressure almost immediately after the strings are struck. The beats 2 and 4 "chits" should be slightly accented over the beats 1 and 3 "choos". The right hand stroke uses the shoulder, the elbow, and the wrist. The right hand motion must create a quick, crisp attack. The
rhythm
guitarist's
job
is
to
propel
the
rhythm
forward
by
complementing the drummer, if there is one. The rhythm guitarist is playing pitched percussion. Think of the guitar as adding pitches to the ride cymbal on beats 1 and 3, and to the high hat on beats 2 and 4. The rhythm guitar part must be barely quieter than the drums. The guitar part should be more felt than heard. The guitar part is often times more for the benefit of the other musicians (to drive the rhythm home) than for the listeners. Primarily use three note chord voicings on strings 6, 4, and 3; and four note voicings on strings 6 (or 5), 4, 3, and 2. Avoid barre chords. They sound muddy when playing this type of rhythm guitar. IMPORTANT: When playing the chord tablature in the examples, mute any string that does not have a finger dot. This muting is done by the left hand.
The number of strings muted depends upon the chord voicing; it can be as few as two strings muted and as many as five strings muted. Thank you to guitarist Tim Berens for many of the ideas expressed above. Appendix 2 Allan Reuss - rhythm guitarist Born New York City, 1915, Reuss studied with George Van Eps in 1933. Van Eps recommended Reuss as his own replacement with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1935. He left Goodman in 1938 to freelance in the recording studios, and he also taught guitar in New York. In 1939, Reuss worked with Jack Teagarden and Paul Whiteman. He toured nationally with Ted Weems in 1941/42, and with Jimmy Dorsey in 1942. After Dorsey, Reuss worked in the NBC studio orchestra in 1942/43. Reuss rejoined Goodman in 1943/44, then went with Harry James in 1944/45. During this time, he won reader's polls in "Metronome" and "Down Beat". After Harry James, Reuss led his own trio in Los Angeles. After that, he concentrated on studio work and teaching. It is likely that Reuss gave guitar lessons to Barry Galbraith and Freddie Green. Although Reuss was primarily a rhythm guitarist, he occassionally soloed as well. His solo style was an intense rhythmic chordal type (ala GeorgeVan Eps) or an economical single note style. In 1935, Reuss played solos on "If I Could Be With You" and "Rosetta" with Benny Goodman, and he had some short solos
on
Lionel
Hampton
records
from
this
period.
In
1939,
he
recorded
"Pickin' For Patsy" with Jack Teagarden. His solo work from the 1940's can be heard on recordings by Corky Corcoran and Arnold Ross with the Ross material offering some of the best examples of Reuss's solo style. Hear Reuss on recordings with: Benny Goodman - on RCA Victor Lionel Hampton - on Bluebird Coleman Hawkins - on Capitol Harry James - on Capitol Gene Krupa - on World Records Jack Teagarden - on Swing Era Paul Whiteman - on MCA Teddy Wilson - on CBS Appendix 3 Teddy Wilson - pianist Theodore
Shaw Wilson
(1912-1986) grew
up in
Tuskegee, Alabama,
and
briefly studied music at Talladega College. After working in Chicago with Jimmie Noone, Louis Armstrong, and others, he moved in 1933 to New York and joined Benny Carter's band. He played informally with Benny Goodman in 1935
and officially joined Goodman's trio the following year, thus becoming one of the first black musicians to appear prominently with white artists. Wilson remained with Goodman until 1939, performing on many of the latter's small group recordings and also on recordings under his own name with other important swing musicians, such as Billie Holiday and Lester Young. After
leaving
Goodman
he
briefly
led
his
own
big
band
in
1939/40,
and
thereafter worked primarily as a leader of small ensembles and as a soloist. Around 1950 he was an instructor at the Juilliard School in New York. He often rejoined Goodman for reunions, most notably for a tour of the USSR in 1962, an appearance at the Newport Festival in 1973, and a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1982. Wilson was the most important pianist of the swing period. His early recordings
reveal
a
percussive
style,
with
single-note
lines
and
bold
staccatos, ala Earl Hines. By the time of his first performances with Goodman he had fashioned a distinctive legato style that served him for the rest of his career. Wilson's style was based on the use of 10ths in the left hand. By emphasizing the tenor voice and frequently omitting the root of the chord until
the
end
of
the
phrase
he
created
great
harmonic
and
contrapuntal
interest. For the right hand he adapted Hines' "trumpet" style, playing short melodic fragments in octaves, frequently separated by rests and varied with broken-chord passage work. Hear Teddy Wilson on recordings with: Benny Goodman - Columbia Billie Holiday - Columbia Teddy Wilson Orchestra - Columbia and other labels Appendix 4 Barry Galbraith - rhythm guitarist Barry
Galbraith
(1919
-
1983)
is
one
of
the
most
recorded
jazz
guitarists of all time. Galbraith grew up in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. In 1941, he was staff guitarist at radio station WJAS in Pittsburgh, and also worked with Red Norvo, Teddy Powell, and Babe Russin. Galbraith then joined Claude Thornhill's band in the latter part of 1941. In 1942, he joined Hal McIntyre. Galbraith served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. He returned to the Thornhill band in 1946. In 1947, Galbraith began worked for NBC and CBS in their studios. By 1950 he was working as a studio musician in New York City and was in high demand. He commonly appeared as sideman. His recording "Guitar and the Wind" was his only recording as leader. In the 1950's, Galbraith recorded with many artists, including Les and Larry Elgart, Hal McKusick, Sam Most, Don Elliott, and George Russell.
During the 1960s he developed trouble with his left hand movement. It was diagnosed as calcium deposits on his spinal column. In 1969, Galbraith had surgery that seriously affected his playing ability. After surgery, he played less and concentrated more on teaching. He produced a remarkable series of instructional jazz guitar books that are still in print. Barry
was
an
exceptional
rhythm
guitarist
as
well
as
a
versatile
electric player. He was perhaps the best reading guitarist in New York City and consequently was hired for many of the jazz record dates that required sight
reading.
Barry
was
also
a
life-long
student
of
music.
He
studied
classical guitar, Flamenco guitar, and attended the Manhattan School of Music as a piano student. Hear Galbraith on recordings with: Les and Larry Elgart - on Columbia Gil Evans - on Impulse Tal Farlow - on Verve Johnny Guarnieri - on RCA Coleman Hawkins - on Milestone Hal McKusik - on Bethelem and Coral George Russell - on RCA Claude Thornhill - on Columbia
PATTERNS La pompe Manouche La pompe s'effectue en marquant régulièrement les 4 temps de la mesure, mais avec un accent sur les 2 et 4 temps. Ces mesures doivent être exécutés de manière ternaire. Par ailleurs, lorsque votre main remonte lors du retour relacher la main qui frette les accords jusqu'à la nouvelle attaque. Les exemples suivants sont tirés du répertoire de Romane. Le premier un Anatol manouche (pompe droite) Swing For Ninine, et le second une pompe swing. Vous remarquerez qu'on a l'impression que la guitare se substitue à une rythmique conventionnelle. C'est tout à fait le cas. Jouez main levée. Celleci doit faire corps avec le médiator et toucher les cordes. Cela donne ce son si particulier, ce "groove" inimitable ! Les hampes des notes dirigées vers le bas désignent les attaques de médiator sur les cordes graves de l'accord, celles dirigées vers le haut, les attaquent sur les cordes aigües. > = Accent. Accord joué plus fort. ^ =Coup de médiator vers le bas, V= Haut
.
= Piqué. Accord devant durer le moitié de sa valeur.
-
= Tenu. Accord devant durer sa valeur entière
Pompe manouche droite les temps sont joués staccato
Pompe manouche swing les temps 1 et 2 sont joués tenudo
Latin Rhythms by Mike Christiansen The music of Latin America is rich in diversity of styles and rhythms. Because of the complexity of the rhythms, Latin music can be challenging, but at the same time rewarding to play on the guitar. If played correctly, the rhythm guitarist can add a relaxed feel to the music. Of the many varying styles of Latin music, this article will focus on the bossa nova and samba. While these two styles of music differ, in some ways they are very similar to each other. This article will concentrate on playing rhythm guitar (providing chords for a solo instrument or vocalist). At the root of much Latin music is a rhythmic pattern called a clave. Example 1 shows the clave rhythm. The clave rhythm is in 4/4 time and takes two measures to complete.
This rhythm is often played by percussionists in Latin bands. The clave rhythm may also be strummed on the guitar. However, it is more common for the guitarist to strum or play fingerstyle a rhythm which compliments the calve rhythm. One of the most popular Latin rhythms is the bossa nova. Example 2 is an example of a bossa nova rhythm. This pattern works for 4/4 time and takes two measures to complete. Be sure to use the correct strum direction. When eighth notes are written, divide the beat into two equal patterns. The eighth
notes should be even. It is uncharacteristic of the style to swing the eighth notes. Hold any chord and practice this bossa nova pattern. After practicing this
strum
holding
one
chord,
practice
changing
chords
and
playing
the
pattern.
Another way of strumming the bossa nova is written in Example 3. Again, this pattern takes one measure to complete. The "X" which is written indicates a muted strum. This is done by lifting the left-hand fingers slightly so the strings sound dead when strummed.
Latin rhythms are frequently played fingerstyle rather than using a pick. The bossa nova pattern played fingerstyle is shown in Example 4. The letter "P" represents picking the bass string of the chord with the right-hand thumb. The bass string of the chord is the lowest string in the chord which would be played if the chord were being strummed. For example, if an open position Cmaj7 chord (drawn below) were played, the fifth string would be picked with the thumb. When a strum bar is written, pull strings 1, 2, and 3, or strings 2, 3, and 4 with the right-hand fingers 1, 2, and 3. The pattern written below is a popular bossa nova pattern.
The next bossa nova pattern in Example 5 is also played fingerstyle. This pattern takes one measure in 4/4 to complete. Notice that if the chord changes after playing the pattern, the pick on beat four is to be done on the new chord.
Example 6 is a pattern for the bossa nova which is very popular. The pattern takes two measures in 4/4 to complete. If "P" is written under a strum
pattern, the bass note is picked at the same time three strings are pulled with the right-hand fingers.
Practice using the bossa nova patterns to play Progression 1 and 2. First, use the same pattern throughout the entire progression. Then, practice combining the patterns. If two chords appear in one measure, divide the pattern.
The Samba may be played by using the bossa nova patterns but playing them faster. The samba usually has a two-feel (two beats to the measure) and is often written in cut time. There are, however, strum and finger-style patterns which differ from the bossa nova and are commonly used to play the samba. One of these patterns is shown in Example 7.
Example 8 is a samba pattern which takes two measures to complete.
The samba pattern shown in Example 9 uses the muted strum.
Like the bossa nova, the samba rhythm is often played fingerstyle. Example 10 is another samba rhythm which is very popular and uses the picking of the bass string with the right-hand thumb and the pulling of three strings with the first three fingers of the right hand. The pulling of the three strings is done where the strum bars are written.
Practice Progression 3 using the patterns for the samba.
It is crucial to the feel of the Latin music that these rhythms be played smoothly. Be careful not to rush the tempo. Each of the Latin rhythms which have been presented can be used to play any bossa nova and samba. Try applying them to familiar bossa novas and sambas from fake books and/or sheet music. If you have been playing folk strums or jazz
comps
to
these
styles,
using
these
new
patterns
will
make
your
accompaniments sound more interesting and authentic. As with other styles of music, to get a clear picture of what the style sounds like, you need to surround yourself with the music. If you haven't already done so, listen to the music of artists such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Louis Bonfa, Baden Powell, Bola Sete and Jeff Linsky. They will direct you in getting the sound, and inspire you.
Two Note Comping Three simple intervals, played on two strings can cover the essential elements of 90% of all the chords you will play in an evening of guitar comping with a jazz trio. A perfect fifth, perfect fourth and a tritone, played on the third and fourth strings are all you need to comp over most jazz tunes. Although this seems hard to believe, it is true. This system is the easiest
way
to
learn
effective
chord
comping.
Look
at
this
progression and notice the third and fourth string intervals. Accords4a
ii
-
V-
I
If you take away the root, which on a jazz trio gig will be supplied by the bass player, you have a perfect fourth interval for the Gmin7, a tritone (flat 5) interval for the C7 and a perfect fourth interval for the Fmaj7 all played on the third and fourth strings. Accords4b Why do these two notes sound so perfect when comping? Because they are the "Guide Tones" or the 3rd and 7th of each chord. These are the most important notes of any chord because they define the chord as major or minor and they define all possible sevenths. Accords4c Now, lets take a look at all possible chord sonorities to see if this theory holds true. I will start with the root six chords. Remember, the root is not played, it is "virtual," so we will indicate it with a parenthesis. Accords4d Why do the Gmin7 and Gmin7b5 look the same? Simple. We avoided playing the fifth so the interval (perfect 4th) works for both chord types. Is this cheating? Not a bit, the third and seventh define the chord so strongly that the flat fifth is not that important. The only chord sonority this does not work on is a minor/major seventh chord; a chord with a minor 3rd and a major 7th. In that case, the interval is a major third. But, I said this will cover 90% of all chords you will use in a evening. Accords4e You cannot play a gig with all root six chords so lets look at all the root five chord sonorities. Remember, the root is not played, it is "virtual," so we will indicate it with a parenthesis. Accords4f Why do the Cmin7 and Cmin7b5 look the same? Again, we avoided the fifth. Of course the minor/major seventh chord for this set would not be covered by our three intervals ( perfect 4th, perfect 5th and flat 5th). That chord type would require a minor 6th.
Accords4g So, you are not convinced, you may think this is too easy of an approach to comping. What about altered dominant seventh chords like G7#5b9? You don't need the #5 or b9 if you have the essential elements of the chord, the 3rd and 7th. What about Gmin9? This chord is simply a Gmin7, the 3rd and 7th of both Gmin7 and Gmin9 are the same two notes, Bb and F. Yes, it would be a little sparse if you comped using only the two middle strings all night, but is a great way to "cut to the chase" and play what sounds right. This method should be considered another option when comping, after you have used all your drop two chords, try two note comping for a few choruses. Don't forget rhythmic variety; there are endless possibilities with what the right hand could do with rhythmic variations. When is absolute best time to use this method? When you are playing with a ten fingered doubled fisted pianist. Pianists love to play all of the upper extensions and alterations in their chord voicings, so instead of stepping on each other, play the essential elements of each chord and let the pianist play the extensions. Guitarists
are
continually
in
the
process
of
learning
new
exotic,
creative chord voicings so that they can use the chords on the next solo or group jazz gig. It seems the essential elements of the chord are sometimes just as effective as a six note chord with all kinds of extensions and colorations. Don't forget the "meat" of every chord lies in the "guide tones" or the 3rd and 7th of the chord. Sometimes less is more.
HARMONIE CONCEPTS L'Anatole L'Anatole est un cadence phare dans le Jazz. Avant de parler de cette cadence un petit rappel théorique : Si l'on prend la gamme de C maj et que l'on empile 4 intervalles de tierce à partir de chaque note constitutive de cette gamme on obtient une gamme dite harmonisée. On place le chiffre Romain I sous la note C, II sous D etc. On parle maintenant de degré.Voici les degré de la gamme majeure : I7M IIm7 IIIm7 IV7M V7 VIm7 VIIm75b C7M Dm7 Em7 F7M G7 Am7 Bm75b L'Anatole est la cadence constitué des degrés I VI II V on remplace souvent le I degré par le III. En effet, les notes les moins importantes d'un accord sont la fondamentale et la quinte. En effet C7M peut être remplacé par Em7 car Em7=C7M(9). Exemple : Swing 42, 32 mesures AABA. Ici le A. Entrainer vous à chanter cette cadence par degré : I VI II V... I. Cela vous permettre de reconnaître à la première écoute cette cadence. Une deuxième version de Swing 42 plus "enjouée". A apprendre par coeur Dans une gamme majeure diatonique : Le degré I est toujours I7M Le degré II est toujours IIm7 Le degré III est toujours IIIm7 Le degré IV est toujours IV7M Le degré V est toujours V7 Le degré VI est toujours VIm7 Le degré VII est toujours VIIm75b Swing
42
se
trouve sur
un livre/
disque (300
pages et
18 titres)
disponible sur le site de la Fnac. La deuxième version sur 100 ans de jazz.
Le Christophe Le christophe est une variante de la cadence plagal I IV. Appelé ainsipar par Jean-Claude Fohrenbach - d'après le thème "Christopher Colombus". Cette cellulle harmonique de deux mesures est très souvent mélangée à L'Anatole. La ligne chromatique de la basse peut-être descendante ou ascendante. Deux mesures dans lesquels seul le dernier accord va changer : I I7 IV IVm7 Le dernier accord est le plus souvent IVm7, IV#dim ou VIb7 Exemple : I got Rhythm, 32 AABA (Anatole plus Christophe.) Ce titre est disponible sur, l'un de mes albums préférés (Django a 24 ans), Le Quintette du Hot Club de France 1934/1935 sur le site de la Fnac.
Accords Des
grilles,
des
grilles,
des
grilles...
à
grand
coup
de
signes
cabalistiques et de mesures découpées en mille morceaux, tout ça finit par donner : du blues, du blues, du blues... Persuadés que l'usage intensif d'anti–dépresseurs finira par nuire à votre coup de poignet ravageur, nous avons fini par nous dire, un peu aidés par vos demandes répétées, qu'un petit mode d'emploi, façon décodeur, serait de bon aloi. Alors, c'est parti, d'abord la notation et quelques conseils de lecture puis, pour finir, les mesures complexes.
La notation Bon, révision générale pendant que nous y sommes, nous utilisons, pour de simples raisons de commodité et, disons-le, d'universalité, la notation dite "américaine". Chaque note est donc représentée par une lettre de A à G. Les équivalences sont : A = la ; B = si ; C = do (ut) ; D = ré ; E = mi ; F = fa et G = sol Jusque là, tout baigne. Passons à la nature des accords et à leurs altérations. Passons en revue les différentes formes d'accords possibles pour G. G = Sol majeur. A jouer 6/9 la plupart du temps dans le style. Ca marche aussi
juste
avec
une
sixte
ou
une
septième
majeure
(plus
rare
en
jazz
manouche) accompagnée ou pas d'une neuvième. GT et G8 = triade majeure. Là, il s'agit plus d'une convention perso utilisée dans les suites d'accords avec une note qui évolue. On partira de GT (pour triade) pour faire monter la quinte vers la sixte, voire la septième, et de
G8
pour
octave
pour
faire
descendre
la
fondamentale.
Les
précisions,
uniquement quand elle s'imposent, concernant les accords majeurs seront : G 6/9, G7M (septième majeure), G+ (triade avec quinte augmentée) ou G7M5+ (sept majeure avec quinte augmentée) et G6. G7, pas besoin de vous faire un dessin, les variantes essentielles seront
G7+
(quinte
augmentée),
G7-
(quinte
diminuée,
G79+
(neuvième
augmentée), etc, etc. Forme remarquable : G7alt pour "altéré". Dans ce cas, neuvième et quinte doivent être altérées, tout est permis : 5+9- ; 5+9+ ; 5-9; 5-9+. Ne pas confondre G7 11+ et G7-, la note importante est la même mais dans le cas de G7 11+ la quinte juste peut être jouée, le mode sous-entendu est mineur mélodique une quarte au-dessus, alors que dans le cas de G7- la quinte juste disparaît. Gm, gagné, c'est bien sol mineur. Nous nous embarasserons rarement de vous
préciser
s'il
s'agit
d'une
septième
majeure
ou
mineure.
Disons
que
l'accord mineur avec une septième majeure est assez rare (mais beau) en jazz manouche, on trouvera plus volontiers un accord de type Gm6 pour les premier
et quatrième degrés des tonalités mineures. Sinon, la forme mineure sept (ex Gm7) est assez passe-partout. Nous utiliserons le même genre de convention que pour les majeurs dans les suites du genre : Gm8, Gm7M, Gm7, Gm6, donc, vous l'aurez compris, il faut se débrouiller pour que la descente de note G, F#, F, E, soit perceptible, note supérieure ou au milieu de l'accord à vous de faire le bon choix au bon moment. GØ, celui-là a fait couler quelques mails... Il s'agit de Sol demidiminué,
soit
"Sol
mineur
sept
avec
une
cinquième
diminuée",
que
vous
trouverez écrit Gm75b ou Gm75- selon les auteurs. Comme nous ne sommes pas auteurs mais ramiers, vous n'aurez droit chez nous qu'au rond barré, non mais des fois... Petite précision, dans bien des grilles manouches (mais pas seulement, c'est aussi le cas en New Orleans par exemple) il est remplacé par son m6 équivalent. La raison est simple, il y a les même notes dedans et ça évite de se prendre la tête avec ce bizarre truc, mineur sept avec une cinquième diminué, on n'a pas idée. Allez donc construire un accord pareil alors qu'un bon vieux mineur 6 le fait aussi bien, et en plus c'est le même, alors... En voilà la liste (notre bonté nous perdra) : AØ = Cm6 ; BbØ = Dbm6 ; BØ = Dm6 ; CØ = Ebm6 ; C#Ø = Em6 ; DØ = Fm6 ; EbØ = F#m6 (Gbm6) ; EØ = Gm6 ; FØ = Abm6 ; F#Ø = Am6 ; GØ = Bbm6 ; G#Ø (AbØ) = Bm6. Vous noterez au passage ce que cela sous-entend en terme d'harmonie, les II V I mineurs de type AØ D7 Gm se trouve ipso facto transformés en IV V I soit Cm6 D7 Gm. Habituez-vous à repérer la combine dans les grilles, ça vous aidera pour l'impro. Go, ah, revenons aux choses simples : Sol diminué G/B, Gm/Bb, G/D, etc, etc... Sol basse si, Sol mineur basse si bémol, Sol basse ré... Ce sont des indications, jamais des obligations. Disons que dans certains cas, notamment pour les thèmes, ça peut rendre l'accompagnement plus intéressant, mais gare, si vous avez un bassiste, c'est son boulot de le faire à la basse, si vous lui piquez son taf, il y a de la fâcherie dans l'air... Cherchez donc d'autres solutions, façon note changeante à l'intérieur de l'accord, en plus c'est classe !! Voilà,
pas
de
superpositions
de
triades,
de
Ré
dorien
et
autres
complications fusionnesques dans le style. - T.A signfie "turnaround", soit tournerie en français. Il s'agit des mesures de fin de thème que, pour revenir au début de la grille, on remplit avec une formule harmonique simple atterrissant sur le premier accord du thème.
- Le rond avec une croix dedans est bien sûr la Coda, quelques mesures supplémentaires ajoutées parfois à la fin du dernier thème pour finir en beauté. - Les mesures hachurées sont des breaks instrumentaux. A convenir entre les musiciens du groupe, soit personne ne joue, soit l'accompagnement se tait et le soliste a quelques mesures pour lui tout seul, soit... Les mesures complexes Passons au comptage des temps. Un seul accord par mesure et tout baigne. Mais ça peut se gâter et, dans certains cas, pêches à contretemps et/ou enchaînements d'accords compliquées dans une même mesure amènent à livrer de véritables patchworks pas toujours simples à lire. Les découpages principaux des mesures à quatre temps sont :
Pour les mesures à trois temps cela nous donne :
Rien de bien sorcier à vrai dire mais bon, il est bon de s'être mis d'accord au moins une fois. Essayez-vous à la grille de Tears, vous verrez ce n'était pas inutile. Profitez-en pour nous signaler au passage les erreurs que nous ne manquerons pas d'avoir faites dans les grilles existantes et à venir.
Triades
GYPSY CHORDS OK, here are some inversions for everyone to check out. These are generally four and five note chords which sound bigger than the average three note inversion. I strongly urge all who haven't seen the "J'Attendrai" footage of Django and the Hot Club to check it out. All shots of Joseph and Baro, the rhythm guitarists in the video, show them playing no less than four note chords. If you can get a hold of contemporary Gypsy guitarists on video, get it, take an afternoon and study it. It will back up my assertions 100%. Maj. |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |-----|--I--|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--M--|-----| |-----|-----|--M--|-----| |--T--|-----|-----|-----| Alternate fingering: |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--P--|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| Favored by Kamlo Barre This is the most standard Gypsy form of a major chord. Sometimes they play the root, other times they don't. The same can be said of the minor chord below. You can see Django using this form in the "J'Attendrai" video. In a tune like "Nuits de Ste. Germaine des Pres", where the II-V-I progression (Amin7-D7-G) signals the end of the form, it's much easier to resolved to this shape than to move to either of these: |-----|--R--|-----|-----| |-----|--R--|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |-----|-----|--P--|-----| |--T--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| The flow of the tune and closeness of the chords is intact. This is a textbook gypsy move. If you want to play GYPSY jazz, use this method. If you want to play swing, Use the other chords. Min. |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--M--|-----| |-----|-----|--M--|-----| |--T--|-----|-----|-----| The standard version of the root inversion minor chord: |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--R--|-----|-----| - optional and not always played. |-----|--R--|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| These chords are interchangeable. Dominant 7 inversions A7 |-----|-----|-----|-----| |--M--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--R--|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--P--|-----| |--T--|-----|-----|-----| Favored by Nous'che Rosenberg, among others. |-----|-----|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |--X--|-----|-----|-----| - this string is muted, i.e. no root note is played. Favored by Jean-Yves Dubanton. Easier to grab (especially if you have smaller hands). |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|--P--| |-----|--M--|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |-----|-----|--R--|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| Kamlo BarrÈ uses this form. |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|--P--| |-----|--I--|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--M--|-----| |--T--|-----|-----|-----| Mondine Garcia and Recardo Reinhardt use this form often. Tenor banjo players will recognize the shape. |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |-----|--R--|-----|-----| |--M--|-----|-----|-----| |-----|-----|--P--|-----| |--I--|-----|-----|-----| This is the Romane, Doudou form, both of whom use this shape almost exclusively. Sure, a lot of these chords are the same, give or take a note of two and fingered differently. However, if you listen carefully, you will notive that each chord has a particular tonal quality. Some are awkard at first, but I would suggest that everyone take a tune like "Sweet Georgia
Brown" and work out all of these inversions and play a full version of the tune with each one. You'll find the unique sound of each chord ring through. Just remember that every chord has its place. There are no hard and fast rules as to what to play when, although once you get used to these, some are more "natural" to play in certain spots than others. Keep Swinging! Ted
Accords Majeurs 6/9 (1) Bon, pour changer, petit rappel de principe. Dans une grille, un accord donné comme Majeur, sans autre précision, peut presque toujours être joué avec une septième majeure ou une sixième (voire les deux pour les gourmands) et accompagné ou pas d'une neuvième. La raison est simple, c'est l'état naturel de l'accord de premier et de quatrième degré d'un ton majeur (voir notre page sur la construction des accords). Dans le style, la préférence va assez systématiquement à la forme 6/9, tout bonnement parce que c'est celle que Django utilisait à haute dose, toujours à cause de sa main gauche. Les accords avec une septième majeure sont plus rares et essentiellement utilisés sur les bossas, introduites dans le swing gitan après la mort de Django. Deux formes essentielles à retenir : la première, avec la fondamentale sur le mi grave Accords3a Ah ben oui, ça commence, la séance de torture avec pouce par-dessus le manche.
Vous
avez
là
"the"
forme
de
majeur
6/9
du
style
et,
déjà,
les
acrobaties digitales qui vont avec. Exercez-vous à passer cet accord partout sur
le
manche
et
profitez-en
pour
apprendre,
à
l'aide
des
fondamentales
"secondaires" les notes de la corde de Sol. Par la même occasion, ce ne sera jamais en vain, trouvez aussi le nom de toutes les notes de l'accord pour chaque nouvelle position et essayer de comprendre, à chaque fois, ce que chaque notes est dans l'accord en question : tièrce, neuvième, etc, etc. La deuxième, avec la fondamentale sur la corde de La Accords3b Plus facile à passer, cette forme d'accord est extrèmement utile. Le deuxième exemple reprend le principe d'un petit barré dans les basses avec le
majeur, mais on peut aussi très bien jouer une fois la fondamentale, une fois la quinte sans écraser le doigt pour conserver la fondamentale. Repérez bien les quatre notes sur les cordes aigües, cette position reviendra souvent, seule
ou
accompagnée
d'une
ou
deux
basses,
avec
une
tripoté
de
valeurs
harmoniques différentes selon les circonstances.
Accords Mineurs 7 (1) Dans le style manouche les tonalités et sonorités mineures ont une grande importance. Du coup, les accords mineurs sont utilisés à la pelle avec une foison de positions. Commençons par les mineurs 7, soit mineurs avec une septième
mineure.
Ce
sont,
notamment,
ceux
qui
serviront
dans
les
enchaînements résolvant façon II V I, III VI II V I, etc. On peut aussi les utiliser un peu par défaut sauf quand le son mineur 6 s'impose, c'est-à-dire pour donner la tonalité d'un morceau ou pour remplacer les accords mineur 7 quinte bémol, ou demi-diminués, (par ex : si mineur 7 bémol 5 remplacé par rémineur 6) mais nous y reviendrons... C"est parti : avec la fondamentale sur la corde de mi ou de la grave, exactement le même renversement. Accords2a Ce sont les obligatoires à pouvoir passer à mac III dans tous les tons. Vous aurez noté l'alternative pouce ou pas pouce pour la première position, essayez les deux, ça vous servira un jour ou l'autre. La deuxième, avec la fondamentale sur la corde de La Accords2b Ah, ça rigole un peu moins... travaillez ces positions elles sont très utiles dans les enchaînements et vous aideront d'ailleurs à faire copain avec le
contrebassiste
en
jouant
de
temps
en
temps
une
autre
basse
que
le
fondamentale. Vous aurez, bien sûr, repéré la deuxième forme, basse quinte ( Dm/A par exemple) et la quatrième basse tièrce (Gm/Bb par ex). A vous de choisir parmi les doigtés de la première série. En v'là d'autres... Accords2c Allez, après ça, repos... Les trois sont basse septième (Dm/C, etc), retenez bien la dernière, elle ne servira peut-être pas souvent à la pompe mais se révèle très utile dans les suites du style Em/E - Em/D - Em/C#, etc. C'est, par exemple, la position utilisée traditionnellement pour le deuxième accord de Mélodie au Crépuscule.
Accords Mineurs 7b5 ou Ø Le voilà, le coupable... il a fait couler tellement d'encre, ou plutôt, crouler tellement de claviers depuis que ce fameux rond barré est apparu sur le site que, tôt ou tard, il fallait bien y venir. L'accord mineur 7 bémol 5 (quinte bémol), ou demi-diminué ou encore, pour les ceusses qui viendraient du classique, septième de sensible (parce que sa fondamentale est sur le septième degré de la gamme, dit sensible) sert beaucoup en jazz, manouche ou pas. La seule différence d'usage est qu'en jazz, on l'interprête pour ce qu'il est, donc un accord demi-diminué ou mineur 6 selon les cas, alors qu'en jazz manouche il sera quasi exclusivement donné comme mineur 6. Explication : dans la suite d'accords on ne peut plus classique DØ-G7(b9)-Cm, vous vous trouvez en face d'un simple II-V-I mineur (équivalent mineur de Dm-G7-C dans la tonalité majeure). Vous aurez donc remarqué que notre fameux septième de sensible est aussi deuxième degré des tons mineurs. C'est à cette place que vous l'utiliserez le plus, croyez-nous sur parole ;-) Evidemment, il n'y a aucune raison pour qu'il en soit autrement en swing gitan, qui n'est autre que du jazz mis à la sauce rabouïne par un génie à deux doigts en vrac. Mais, la tradition gitane ne faisant pas spécialement dans la théorie harmonique aux cours du soir, du coup, inconnu au bataillon le mineur 7b5. Malgré tout, ce n'est pas parce qu'il n'a pas de nom qu'on ne l'utilise pas le bougre. Or, comme il se trouve qu'il contient les mêmes notes qu'un accord mineur 6 (Dm6 : ré-fa-la-si - BØ : si-ré-fa-la) la solution était simple, et pas dénuée de sens, DØ-G7-Cm devint aussi sec Fm-G7-Cm. Ne comptez pas trop sur un rabouin patenté pour vous dire que le Fm avec cette drôle de position est en fait un Fm6, c'est évident quoi, mon cousin !! Ca rappellera quelque chose à ceux d'entre vous qui connaissent un peu le jazz. Et oui, ce n'est rien d'autre que la même évolution de la cadence fréquente en vieux style, IV-V-I (F-G7-C) devenue II-V-I (Dm-G7-C) avec le temps, la compréhension et un usage plus riche de l'harmonie par les musiciens middle puis bop. Enfin bref, passage à l'acte, rappelez-vous simplement la correspondance entre ces deux accords et exercez-vous à repérer quand vous jouez un demi-diminué et quand il s'agit d'un mineur 6. Avant de vous en coller une tonne de formes d'accords, notre trop grande bonté va même jusqu'à vous faire un petit tableau des équivalences entre les deux pour les 12 tons, enfin des sept notes de la gammes de do, à vous de jouer pour les bémols et les dièses. m 6
C
m6 Ø Ø
D m6
A
E m6
B Ø
F m6
C #Ø
G m6
D Ø
A m6
E Ø
B m6
F #Ø
G #Ø
Dans tous nos exemples, la fondamentale de l'accord Ø sera l'habituel rond vide et celle du mineur 6 équivalent, un rond rouge Accords1 Bien sûr, le tableau est loin d'être exhaustif, il y en a beaucoup d'autres, c'est juste une base pour commencer à bosser, alors... à suivre !
Accords de septième
Building a chord voicing vocabulary This series on comping - the skill of accompanying with chord structures - will happen in four installments. We will start in this edition with harmonizing the major scale by building seventh chords on this seven step system. We will realize this within chord systems by basing the roots of the voicings on individual strings of the guitar. After defining this context and working the obtained shapes into your playing along the lines of typical jazz cadences (one to two bar chord progressions that are encountered in most jazz tunes), we will apply the learned material to a song. In later installments, we will talk about concepts of adding extensions, the
use
of
quartal
chord
voicings,
and
their
applications
to
songs
and
progressions, including "Autumn Leaves," Rhythm Changes and more. Harmonizing the Major Scale System In the figure below, you can see the C major scale harmonized with seventh chords; instead of playing a scale with single notes, you can do the same with a series of chords that consist of notes from that scale:
The steps are numbered for a certain reason: Steps I and IV are harmonized with major seventh chords, II, III, and VI with minor seventh chords, step V with a dominant seventh chord, and step VII becomes a half-diminished chord (minor7 b5). This structural knowledge becomes handy when applying the shapes to the guitar. First, place the root of each chord on only the sixth string, and you'll notice that there are only four initial voicings:
Since we repeat and recycle some of the shapes, we can break down the list of voicings to these four:
The same system can be played with the roots on the A-string:
The four different voicings we encounter here are the following:
Note: Please keep in mind that these voicing types are basic versions, which we will modify in later installments by adding extensions to turn them into typical jazz voicings. How to practice: Practice both systems (system I with roots on only the E-string, and system II with roots on A-string) of the C major scale chord progression illustrated above, ascending and descending. Transpose the C major systems to Bb major (one whole step down) and repeat the same exercise in that key; here, the first chord of system I has its root on the sixth fret, sixth string. In system II, the root of chord I, Bbmaj7, falls on the first fret, fifth string. In the key of Bb-major play the following typical jazz cadences (chord progressions that you will find in almost all jazz tunes): Major II-V-I's:
or
I-VI-II-V's (turnarounds):
or
in more modern Jazz, the VI-chord is more often than not played like as a dominant seventh:
or
Let's apply these voicings now to the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves": Download song here. (PDF Document - 50KB) You will notice that some of the same cadences are used as the building blocks for these changes, while you will also encounter II-V-I cadential movement in the relative minor key; we will pick up this topic later in conjunction with altered extensions. In
later
installments
in
this
series
we
will
talk
about
adding
extensions to these basic chord voicings to create a jazzier tone; these we will then apply to this song. The next column will add one more voicing system for the diatonic chords, as well as Rhythm Changes as a typical song form for exercising more chops on cadences. Extending the chord voicing vocabulary - part II In the previous installment in this series we defined and applied chord voicings with the roots on the fifth as well as sixth strings. We will achieve
an even higher degree of flexibility by defining and practicing the same major scale harmonic layout in the following system:
Here, we also have the four essential shapes (in the order left to right: Maj7, Min7, Dom7, Min7b5):
Cadence: II-V-I Let's add this knowledge to the cadence progression, II-V-I major key, from the previous column installment, by mixing up the three systems. Recall that
the
first
voicing
system
has
the
chord's
root
on
the
6th
string
exclusively. The second voicing system has the root note on the 5th string and the third system, as illustrated above, the root is on the 4th string. Mixing the three systems will be really easy, if you have played through these applications in conjunction with the first column on Jazz Comping:
Here are the voicing combinations for this key:
There are obviously more possibilities in combining voicings from the three systems. Experiment by figuring out all the variations that you can think of. Review the song "Autumn Leaves" and apply voicings from the third system discussed in this column. Approach this in the same way the cadences above were treated; for example, try to play all the changes of the song staying between frets III and VI. Cadence: I-VI-II-V In the example below, you can see the first eight bars of "Rhythm Changes" - a song form we encounter in jazz frequently; the sign means to repeat the chords from the previous two bars:
The
main
building
block
here
is
a
I-VI-II-V,
essentially
our
now
familiar II-V-I (Cm7, F7, Bbmaj7) with one extra chord added: the VI (G7). The diatonic seventh chord built on this root, G, is a minor seventh (examples a. through c.). But, as already mentioned, this often gets played as a dominant seventh chord (d. through f.):
Once again, we can use a dominant seventh chord for step VI:
Remember: There are plenty more possible variations of pairing up the three systems. I recommend searching for all of them, in as many keys as possible. Below you'll find the complete "Oleo" (S. Rollins). It is a song based on this typical form in jazz. You'll notice that voicing diagrams for the song's chords and progressions are illustrated just once, though a chord or progression may occur repeatedly in the song. Also, the voicings in this version all fall into one small region on the neck, which is made possible through the three voicing systems covered so far. Download Oleo. (PDF Document - 45KB) In the next installment we will introduce extensions and alternate ways of voicing these basic chord types. That will bring about an even jazzier, and sometimes more modern, sound. Extending the chord voicing vocabulary - part III : Chord Extensions By previous
adding two
extensions
columns
on
to this
the
basic
subject
guitar you
voicings
automatically
covered
in
increase
the your
flexibility when interpreting songs and when comping for co-musicians. We will accomplish this by progressively layering these extensions over the already acquired cadence foundations. Making the Connections with Ninths Let’s start with this on minor chords. When we add a ninth to the IIchord, the typical major II-V-I connections look like this:
Once Again, there are more possibilities in combining voicings from the three systems. Explore! When playing through these connections, compare and analyze how and where the basic voicings have changed. The ninth is equivalent to the second step of the minor chord scale; it is located a half-step below the minor third. Turnarounds (I-VI-II-V): Let’s add a ninth on both the II- and the VIchords. Below you will find only one of the connections illustrated; go back and figure out the other possible positions for this change yourself!
Don’t forget the other positions! As in the previous unit on comping, let’s also show one connection with the VI-chord as a dominant seventh chord. In this turnaround situation, the VI-chord needs to have altered extensions to best work with the raised third; this means that most possible extensions added here need to be raised or lowered by a half step. Let’s clarify this a bit: altered thirteens on the VIchord (G7) in the key of Bb represent typical steps in the diatonic material of the key; the major thirteen of G7 would be E. That, however, is not contained in the Bb-major scale where we have an Eb. Since G7 functions as the VI-chord of Bb in this situation, an added 13 would have to be a b13. This works
similarly
for
other
situations. Examples with VI 7(b9):
extension,
with
some
exception
in
certain
Example with VI 7(+9):
Notice how the +9 is attained by raising the b9 by a whole step! Figure out the other possible positions/connections. Making the Connections with Elevens By Adding 11s to the minor II-chord shapes, it becomes easy to once again vary the comping sound on the now quite familiar II-V-I and turnaround connections. Learn the individual minor 11 shapes below and insert them in all the possible connections/positions of those two cadence types.
Check out how the first Cm7(11) chord fits with its position on the IIV-I:
It is merely a variation of the same cadence that features the ninth on the II-chord from earlier:
Experiment with all possible positions you can think of. Here’s an example for one turnaround connection:
As
you
can
see,
adding
more
and
more
extensions
on
different
chords/steps of these typical cadence connections is actually quite easy, if the foundation is in place. We will continue with the other possible steps but mostly by listing their possible extensions in the different positions. It is up to you to place the individual chord voicings in the positions/connections learned before. I would recommend to take this in strides and to apply a new combination in the song examples “Autumn Leaves” and “Oleo” learned in the previous two columns. This ensures a deeper processing in your motor-memory. Extensions for Specific Chords/Steps Dominant Seventh Chords There are two versions of extended dominant seventh chords: 1) nonaltered dominants, and 2) altered dominants. The non-altered dominant seventh chord is used most often as a V-chord in major. Viewing the two cadence connections so far, major II-V-I and turnarounds, both examples would yield F7 in the key of Bb-major as a non-altered dominant chord. Here are a few F7(9) voicings to be inserted in the cadence connections:
Use
the
middle
finger
for
the
root
on
each
of
these
three
chord
voicings. Also, compare these extended versions to the basic voicings of this type: The ninth (9) is situated a whole step below the third, and at the same time a whole step above the root/octave. Eleven’s on this step in the key are treated in a special way. It would be too much background information to get into in this column, so for now just accept that eleven’s in this context are played as +11’s by jazz musicians:
The last extension introduced in this column will be the thirteen. It is located a half step below the dominant seven of this chord example. Here are some suggestions:
To round out this foundation in comping skills in the next issue, we will look at some really hip voicings by combining several extensions on single chords (notice the differing terminology on the last set of voicings, more on this next time) and will also introduce one more vital cadence. So hang in there, because, if you haven’t had any fun with this stuff yet, the pay off for all your hard work is right around the corner.
Freddie Green Freddie Green When I was in my 20s, I tried to pattern my life after Freddie Green. During my hours on the road behing the wheel of the Jimmy Guiffre Three Volkswagen van, I used to think "how can I make my driving like Freddie Green's playing?" Comfortable, no bumps, pleasant. His playing makes you smile. It also made you play, judging by the way Count Basie's band sounded all those years. I once heard the band without Freddie, who was sick. Boy, did they miss him! That great Basie band was like a ship without the rudder. It just wasn't the same. Freddie once told me that his biggest joy was playing behind Lester Young, who returned the compliment by playing all of those classic solos with the Basie band. I sometimes have a fantasy that, if the tree of jazz were pruned down far enough, we'd be left just with Freddie Green strumming away and making you feel like playing and smiling. After all, Charlie Christian and Charlie Parker heard Lester Young, who heard Freddie Green, etc. I'll always regret that I didn't watch Freddie more closely or ask him more specific questions about his playing. I did ask Freddie once if he had any fatherly advice for me and he said: "Yes, always pack your bag the night before and leave your uniform on top." I've already described what I felt from his playing. What I heard was something very simple and spacious: chord voicings that allowed the guitar to speak and yet not bump into other rhythm section instruments. For instance, a simple chord progression (Bm7 - E7 - Am7 - D7 - G) at a medium tempo might sound like this:
Whether he was playing more notes, I can't say, but this was the effect and, with his magnificent time feeling, it was perfect. It allowed the bass plenty of room to move. And Basie's piano playing never got in the way of anythng. That's a subject for another whole book!
"I Got Rhythm" in the style of Freddie Green George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" is the basis of countless jazz tunes. Even the theme for "The Flintstones" cartoon television series is a "Rhythm" tune. Freddie Green undoubtedly played "Rhythm" changes thousands of times in his fifty year career. The music below is not a transcription; it is a hypothetical example of how Freddie might have played "Rhythm" changes. Note the use of one note chords, two note chords, passing notes, and added upper notes on beats 2 and 4. All are typical techniques of Freddie Green's rhythm guitar style. The form of "I Got Rhythm" is A-A-B-A; it is typically played as a 32 bar tune. I have notated the A section only once. Use it as a guide to create your own A section "changes ala Freddie Green". Refer to other articles in this "Lessons and Technique" section for detailed explanations of Freddie's playing style. Michael Pettersen November 2003
Another Approach to Fingering Three-Note Chords Mark Allen's DCMN article suggests the three-note chords are typically fingered with the first three fingers of the left hand, but in all the performance photos of Freddie Green on this website, his fourth finger (little finger) seems to be planted on the G string. I've found that anchoring the fourth finger on the G string permits one to play all the common three-note chords with the least amount of movement in the hand and wrist. Here are examples: The basic hand position is that of a M6 (1) chord -- to use Allen's notation. Let's say it's a Bb6 (1) at the 6th fret: The fourth finger is on the G string, 7th fret (D) The first finger is on the D string, 5th fret (G) The second finger is on the low E string, 6th fret (Bb). From this position, it's possible to produce three additional chords by placement of the third finger: BbM7 (1) - third finger on the D string, 7th fret (A) Em7 (5) - third finger on the low E string, 7th fret (B) Bb7 (1) - third finger on the D string, 6th fret (Ab) Returning to the basic Bb6 (1) position, lift the fourth finger and half-bar the D and G strings at the 5th fret (G and C) with the first finger to produce a C7 (7). Returning to the basic Bb6 (1) position, move the fourth finger down to the 6th fret (Db) to produce an Eb7 (5). From this Eb7 (5), placing the third finger on the D string at the 6th fret (Ab) yields a Bbm7 (1). Note that these chord forms may serve more than one function. For example, the basic Bb6 (1) form is also: Gm (3) EbM7 (5) Em7-5 (5) These fingerings are the easiest ones I've found, particularly at fast tempos. As an experiment, I also tried playing them with the guitar top nearly horizontal, ala Freddie Green, and all the forms were relatively easy to reach. I don't claim that they're the same fingerings Freddie Green used; in photos his middle finger seems arched too high to be on the low E string. But once you get used to them, they will likely be smoother and faster than fingerings that utilize just the first three fingers of the left hand.
Basics of Freddie Green Comping Much
has
been
written
about
Freddie
Green
comping.
I
have
the
opportunity to play quite a bit of this style on my gigs as the guitarist for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. I've played Freddie Green style guitar with a variety of well-known performers, and also played on a recording of old swing arrangements by Nelson Riddle. I have considered this subject quite a bit during rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions. Here are my thoughts. WHAT IS FREDDIE GREEN COMPING? Freddie Green was one of thousands of guitarists that comped in this style. Freddie Green was certainly a master of this style, if not "the" master. But he was not the first or the only player to comp in this style. The phrase "Freddie Green" style comping refers to a style of swing comping that is most often used in big band guitar playing. The phrase "Freddie Green Comping" is seen quite a bit in charts if you play gigs that require reading, such as show work. The label "Freddie Green Comping" does not refer specifically to the person Freddie Green, but rather to the rhythm guitar style of four strums to the bar. Likewise, when I use the phrase Freddie Green style guitar, I am not referring exclusively to the way Freddie Green played. The beauty of Freddie Green comping is that the basics can be explained so simply: hold down a chord with the left hand, and strike the strings with the right hand on every beat of the tune. The ugly side of Freddie Green comping is that when done badly, the guitar player can single-handedly mess up the rhythm section. TIME Rhythm guitar is about time, not about voicings. Voicings are a detail, but they seem to take up a great deal of space in discussions about Freddie Green comping. If you are just learning the basics of swing rhythm guitar, pay little attention to the discussions of voicings. I suggest that to learn this style you should first concentrate on time. "CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK" These words are often used to describe Freddie Green comping. I don't think these words are all that helpful. If you really do play something that resembles "chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk", you will likely muddy the rhythm section and thus mess up the tune. I think the words "choo-chit-choo-chit" more accurately describe the rhythm guitar sound. "Choo" on beats 1 and 3; "chit" on beats 2 and 4. There are variations depending on how fast or slow the tune is played, or how busy
the drummer is, but these are the basics. Beat 1 and 3 have a longer sound, while beats 2 and 4 have a much shorter sound. THE DRUMMER The
guitarist's
job
is
to
help
propel
the
rhythm
forward
by
complementing the drummer. The rhythm guitarist is playing pitched percussion. Think of the guitar as adding pitches to the ride cymbal on beats 1 and 3, and to the high hat on beats 2 and 4. The guitarist must lock on to the drummer's high hat. Beats 2 and 4 are what swing is about. The drummer's high hat (or snare in the loud parts) define beats 2 and 4 more than anything else. If you can lock on to the drummer's high hat, meaning that your strike your "chit" beats at exactly the same moment as the drummer's high hat sounds, you will be swinging with the drummer. Create the "chit" sound by releasing the left hand pressure almost immediately after the strings are struck. The "choo" beats of 1 and 3 should be in lock step with the drummer's ride cymbal. This is much easier if you play with the same drummer all the time. Drummers all define time in slightly different ways, and it often takes a couple of sessions with a new drummer to really lock on to his time. Locking on to the drummer is more difficult than it sounds. The better the drummer, the easier he is to lock on to. Never forget that you are there to support the drummer. The beat 2 and 4 "chits" should be slightly accented over the beats 1 and 3 "choos". Even if you played the "chit" with the same exact right hand stroke, the "chits" will have a natural accent because they are cut short. The interruption of the sound creates the effect of an accent. This is nearly enough. I create the accent by gripping the pick just slightly firmer on beats 2 and 4. Then I use the exact same arm and wrist motion on all four beats. A firmer grip causes the pick to displace the strings more, thus creating more volume, and an accent. VOLUME A big issue with Freddie Green comping is the volume: how loud should it be? The answer is just loud enough. Not particularly helpful, but completely accurate. Here are things to consider when deciding how loud to play: The guitar part must be just barely quieter than the drums. The guitar part should be felt not heard. If anyone in the audience (except other rhythm guitarists) actually notice the guitar, it is too loud. The
guitar part
is often
times more
for the
benefit of
the other
musicians (to help drive the rhythm home for them) than for the listeners.
As the band gets louder, so should the guitar, but not too much. The sound quality of the guitar (and amp, if used) also play a part in how loud the guitar should be. If playing this style of guitar professionally and amplified, buy a good volume pedal and keep your foot on it at all times. Let the volume pedal become part of the guitar. SOUND The realities of most live performance dictate the use of an amplifier. But the typical amplified jazz guitar sound is too "thick" to properly play Freddie Green comping. The big fat jazz box sound will simply muddy up the rhythm section because it will interfere with the bass player's lines. You can get a passable Freddie Green feel from many types of guitars, but in my opinion, the best sound will come from an archtop. I use a Gibson L5. My amp of choice for this type of style is a Trace Elliott Acoustic. It has a very clean sound. I notch out the middle and upper midrange (330 Hz to 1,000 Hz) with the built-in equalizer. This gives a sound that does not interfere with the bass player, is reasonable warm, and is still clear enough to cut. Keep in mind the phrase "pitched percussion" when deciding on a sound. Create a sound that blends well with the drums, but does not muddy up the bass player's sound. VOICINGS Do not get obsessed with voicings as a beginner. Remember that you do not have to play voicings exactly like Freddie Green to play good Freddie Green comping. Here are several guidelines for voicings: Primarily use three note voicings on strings 6, 4, and 3; and four note voicings on strings 6, 4, 3, and 2. Avoid barre chords. They take up too much space in the sound spectrum. Avoid perfect fifths between strings 6 and 5. This sounds muddy and will interfere with the bass player's sound. Don't add extensions past the 7th, unless specifically called for in the chart. Don't add your own extensions as they will likely conflict with the piano player's part as well as the horn parts. SWING Swing your ass off.
Western swing Greetings fellow net.pickers. This is a short lesson in Western Swing or Texas contest-style backup guitar. I'll be presenting the basic concepts and some arrangements of tunes with backup parts. This style of playing has a few defining characteristics: a) Frequently changing chords, generally two per measure (in 4/4). b) A walking bass line beneath the chords. c) Frequent use of closed-position chords (i.e. with no open strings) instead of open-voiced chords (such as the standard G, C, etc.). d) "Passing chords" used between the major harmonic areas in a tune. e) Extended chords (6ths, major 7ths, 9ths, 13ths, minor 7ths, minor 9ths), altered chords (b9ths, augmented, diminished). We
want
to
use
these
techniques
to
transform
the
simple
chord
progressions that are found in many fiddle tunes and country tunes into more complex progressions _that will still fit the melody_. This is an important point: what you do still has to fit and make musical sense. You probably won't want to use very complex chords like, oh, say, an A13b9sus4 in one of these progressions: A13b9sus4 +-+-+-+-+-+ o | | | | o 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | o o | +-+-+-+-+-+ | | o | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ It probably won't work very well. But just use your judgment. If a chord sounds like it works, then it works. These are essentially jazz-based techniques, and it helps to have at least
some
knowledge
of
jazz
harmony
to
get
a
grip
on
this
stuff.
The
discussion does get a little tech-oid, but even if you don't understand the theory, just try playing through the examples - they're a lot of fun and they sound really cool. Listen to recordings by the great Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys for good examples of this type of backup playing. The Texas Playboys guitarist, Eldon Shamblin, is responsible for much of the development of this style as it
is applied to country-style tunes. Another great group to listen to if you want to hear this stuff in a more traditional jazz setting is the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, with the virtuoso Django Reinhardt on guitar. Another master practitioner of this style is Ranger Doug from Riders in the Sky. OK, so, on to the first tune. This is an arrangement of "Sally Goodin," a great old Texas fiddle tune. The backup part is from an article in a 1990 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. This is the same TAB that I posted out to the net a few months ago. The backup part will also fit with the arrangement of "Grey Eagle" that I posted to the net some time ago. Here's TAB for Sally Goodin, a traditional fiddle tune, and a Texasstyle/Western Swing accompaniment for it. This is from the article "Swinging With Sally Goodin" by Jim Wood, from the Sept/Oct 1990 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. I have TABbed the melody as if it were played in G. The accompaniment is in A, though, so you'll have to capo at the second fret to make the melody work with the accompaniment. Each "|" above the staff represents a quarter note. Sally Goodin (traditional) arr. Jim Wood Note the nice walking bass lines. The whole thing is done bass-strum, bassstrum, etc. A |
|
A9/C#
D
|
|
|
|
D#o7
A
|
|
|
|
A#o7
Bm7
|
|
|
E7 |
|
|
|-----------------|-----2-------2---|-----------------|-----2-------0---| |-----2-------5---|-----3-------1---|-----2-------2---|-----3-------0---| |-----2-------4---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------0---|-----2-------1---| |-----2-------5---|-0-------1-------|-----2-------2---|----(0)------0---| |-0-------4-------|-----------------|-0-------1-------|-2-----------2---| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------0-------| A |
|
A9/C#
D
|
|
|
|
D#o7
E7
|
|
|
F#m |
|
|
E7/G#
A
|
|
|
|
|-----------------|-----2-------2---|-----3-------5---|-----7-------5---| |-----2-------5---|-----3-------1---|-----3-------5---|-----5-------5---| |-----2-------4---|-----2-------2---|-----4-------6---|-----7-------6---| |-----2-------5---|-0-------1-------|-2-------4-------|-6-------7-------| |-0-------4-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A |
D/F#
Dm/F
A/E
|
|
|
|
|
A7/G |
|
|
E7/D
E7/B
|
|
|
|
D#o7 |
|
|
|-----5-------5---|-----------------|-----------------|-------------0---| |-----5-------5---|-----7-------6---|-----5-------7---|-----5-------0---| |-----6-------6---|-----7-------7---|-----6-------5---|-----4-------1---| |-7-------5-------|-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---|-----6-------0---| |-----------------|-9-------8-------|-7-------6-------|-5-------2-------| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| A |
D
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A9/C# |
E7
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D#o7 |
E7/G#
A
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E7/B |
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|-----------------|-----2-------2---|-----------------|-----------------| |-----2-------5---|-----3-------1---|-----5-------5---|-----3-------2---| |-----2-------4---|-----2-------2---|-----7-------7---|-----4-------2---| |-----2-------5---|-0-------1-------|-----6-------6---|-----2-------2---| |-0-------4-------|-----------------|-7---------------|---------0-------| |-----------------|-----------------|---------7-------|-4---------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------An important point about this backup style is the articulation. You should strive for a sound like this: boom-CHUNK-boom-CHUNK-boom-CHUNK-boom-CHUNK... 1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
"Boom" is the bass note (which is allowed to ring), and "CHUNK" is an accented, muted chord strum. So in other words, the chords should not be allowed to ring out - they should be cut short by lifting the fingers of your fretting hand as soon as you strike the strings. This gives a little rhythmic jab or "sock" on the backbeat, and leads, BTW, to this style sometimes being referred to as "sock guitar." This also is why we use primarily closed-voiced chords - it's hard to properly mute open-voiced chords. Another way these chords are articulated sometimes is like this: CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK... 1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
i.e. with no separate bass note - just the whole chord strummed staccato on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. This is more like the way that big-band guitarists play, for example Freddie Green with the Count Basie Orchestra.
Another point to note is that we don't always use chords voiced with the root in the bass. A good example is this voicing, which appears in the first measure: A9/C# +-+-+-+-+-+ | o | o | | +-+-+-+-+-+ | | o | o | 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ Such voicings are used primarily to keep the bass line moving. Another point about this chord is that it provides a I dominant (I9), which leads very strongly to the IV chord in the next measure. An example of a passing chord, as mentioned above, is the D#dim7 chord found in measure 2: D#dim7 0 +-+-+-+-+-+ | | o | o | +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | o | o +-+-+-+-+-+ This chord adds interest to the progression in two ways: First, it provides an interesting harmonic transition between the IV chord (D) and the I chord (A/E). Second, the D, D#, A run in the bass gives a very nice jazzy, chromatic sound to the progression. A similar use of a passing chord (an A#dim7) is found in measure 3. In fact, just playing through measures 1 through 4 will give you a good idea of where this stuff is coming from. Now the next tune, Westphalia Waltz. This is a lovely old fiddle waltz that sounds great with a Texas-style backup. As above, I have provided a guitar TAB for the melody with the "straight" chords indicated on the upper line of chords above the TAB and the Texas-style chords indicated on the lower line of chords above the TAB. The next TAB is just for the backup part. When playing a waltz, it sounds best if you let the chords ring rather than muting them. So, you want a sound more like this: BOOM-strum-strum-BOOM-strum-strum... 1
2
3
1
2
3
where the 1 is accented and the 2 and 3 are unaccented.
Also, note that the moving ("walking") voice in this backup part is sometimes in an inner voice rather than in the bass. For example, see the G, F#, E, F#, G run on the 4th string in measures 1 through 5. TAB- Westphalia Waltz (arr. Bo Parker,
[email protected]) Backup Same for both parts G |
Gmaj7 |
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G6 |
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Gmaj7 |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----3---3---| |-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-----4---4---|-----2---2---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------| G |
G#dim |
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Am7 |
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D9 |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----3---3---|-----5---5---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-------------|-----------4-|-5-----------| |-3---------3-|-4---------4-|-5-----------|-------------| Am7 |
D9 |
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Am7 |
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D9 |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----4---4---|-----5---5---|-----4---4---| |-----------4-|-5-----------|-----------4-|-5-----------| |-5-----------|-------------|-5-----------|-------------| Am7 |
Daug9/C |
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G6/9/B |
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G |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----3---3---|-----0-------| |-----5---5---|-----3---3---|-----2---2---|-----0-------| |-----5---5---|-----4---4---|-----2---2---|-----0-------| |-----------2-|-3-----------|-2-----------|-------------| |-5-----------|-------------|-------------|-3-------0-2-|
G |
Gmaj7 |
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G6 |
Gmaj7
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----3---3---| |-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-----4---4---|-----2---2---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------| G |
G#dim |
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Am7 |
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D9 |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----4---4---|-----4---4---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----3---3---|-----5---5---|-----4---4---| |-----5---5---|-------------|-----------4-|-5-----------| |-3---------3-|-4---------4-|-5-----------|-------------| Am7 |
D9 |
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Am7 |
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D9 |
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|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| |-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----5---5---| |-----5---5---|-----4---4---|-----5---5---|-----4---4---| |-----------4-|-5-----------|-----------4-|-5-----------| |-5-----------|-------------|-5-----------|-------------| Am7 |
D7 |
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G |
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G/D |
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|-------------|-------------|-----3---3---|-----3---3---| |-----5---5---|-----3-------|-----0---0---|-----0---0---| |-----5---5---|-----5-------|-----0---0---|-----0---0---| |-----5---5---|-----4-------|-----0---0---|-0-----------| |-------------|-5-----------|-------------|-------------| |-5-----------|---------0-2-|-3-----------|-------------| An
interesting
chord
in
this
progression
is
the
D
augmented
chord
(actually a Daug9/C) in measure 14. Remember that a D augmented chord has the notes D, F#, A#. Well, that A# is the same as as a Bb, which is the flat-third "blue note" in the key of G. Its presence in the D augmented chord (which is
used as a V dominant chord) gives the V - I cadence a really cool bluesy, "down-home" kind of sound. I have provided you with a short overview of the Western swing or "Texas" style of backup guitar playing. Play with these progressions for awhile and you will discover that there are many contexts in which these concepts, particularly walking bass lines and passing chords, can be applied. Use these techniques in a few places in the songs you like to play, and you will find that they can really spice up your rhythm playing. Have fun!
